Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi declared Saturday that his presidency would end in 2030, ruling out further constitutional changes as he unveiled a plan to train potential future leaders through the country’s main military academy.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy, Sisi said a committee led by the speaker of parliament and including intellectuals, politicians, and the ministers of higher education and justice would establish selection criteria and draft legislation for the program.

The initiative would target PhD holders from reputable Egyptian and foreign universities, who would undergo 30 months of training focused on the Egyptian state, its resources, and how to preserve them. Sisi said graduates could be prepared for leadership positions ranging from the presidency and cabinet ministries to provincial governorships and parliament.

The president said the program would allow Egyptians to “elect and choose from among” its graduates. However, he did not explain how candidates would be nominated for elected or appointed positions.

“I will not leave the Egyptian state except when it is replete with sons and daughters capable of assuming responsibility,” Sisi said.

Sisi, 71, is serving a six-year term after winning reelection in December 2023. Constitutional amendments approved in a 2019 referendum extended presidential terms from four years to six and allowed him to seek a third term, enabling him to remain in office through 2030.

Reaffirming that he would not seek another constitutional change, Sisi said the end of his term was “a matter that has been completely settled and will not be discussed.”

The proposal would give the military academy a central role in preparing future national leaders, reflecting the armed forces’ influence well beyond defense. Under Sisi, a former general, the military has expanded its involvement in Egypt’s economy and civilian affairs.

Sisi became president in 2014, a year after the military removed Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, following mass protests. His government subsequently cracked down on Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, a longstanding Islamist movement, and consolidated its hold on power.

The proposed training program would create a formal pipeline to prepare future officials as Sisi nears the end of his presidency, though its selection process and the exact path from academy graduate to government office remain unclear.