Jockeying for position ahead of this spring’s presidential poll is in full-swing: The presidential elections are beginning to take shape, with a number of hopefuls announcing their intention over the past few days. These include:

Former Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sami Anan is vying for the top job, after being nominated by the Arabism Egypt Party, which he leads, Reuters reports. The party will hold a press conference within days to formally announce Anan’s run, according to part member and MP Ragab Helal. “‘The bet is on the people who are suffering, and securing their votes,” Helal told the Associated Press.

Human rights lawyer and activist Khaled Ali officially announced his bid at a statement to the press on Thursday. He pointed to rising prices and human rights conditions as being the main impetus behind his candidacy. Ali also referenced his conviction of a “lewd hand gesture in public” as part of a smear campaign mounted against him. He may be declared ineligible to run if his appeal is not accepted at a hearing scheduled for March. Al Dostour Party has announced it will throw its weight behind Ali’s bid, Al Shorouk reports.

And the circus is finally complete: Mortada “The Mortadel” Mansour has apparently decided that the elections lacked some zest after former Civil Aviation Minister Ahmed Shafik withdrew his candidacy, announcing he will be running for the top job, Al Masry Al Youm reports. Mansour is apparently relying on MPs from Islamist party Al Nour to scrape up the 20 signatures needed to file his nomination papers. We would like to remind our readers at this point that Mansour has already run for presidency twice, giving rise to one of the greatest parody campaign videos of all time. We hope his next “vision” to bow out of the race comes quick as even his equally bombastic son said he would not vote for him.

Expect an announcement from President El Sisi soon: Ittihadiya is holding a “state of the union” conference this week to highlight President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s accomplishments in office, unidentified sources say, according to Ahram Gate. El Sisi had previously said that the public’s reaction to the address would determine whether or not he will announce his candidacy. El Sisi will also take the time during the conference to address questions citizens have submitted through the “Ask Your President” initiative, which he launched again last week. The exact date of the conference remains unclear; sources tell Al Masry Al Youm that it will be held sometime between 17 and 19 January, while Al Shorouk cites television reports as saying it will take place on Wednesday 17 January. More than 500 members of parliament have signed “recommendations” for El Sisi to run for a second term, the Associated Press reports. The Wafd Party officially announced yesterday its endorsement of El Sisi, Al Shorouk reports.

You can also tap here for a brief rundown of the nominees, courtesy of Al Masry Al Youm.