As Egypt's past presidential choices were limited to former military men or Islamists, some voters are hoping the candidacy of Hamdeen Sabahy, a prominent leftist leader who has announced to contest presidency, can break the mold.

Sabahy, 60, is the founder and leader of The Popular Current, a leading leftist movement formed after the 2011 revolution that brought down former president Hosni Mubarak.

On Saturday, Sabahy announced his plan to run in the upcoming presidential election that could take place as early as mid-April, making him the first candidate to announce a bid for the presidency.

In the country's first democratic presidential election in 2012, Sabahy also ran and came in third, following the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi and ex-president Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq.

Born to a farmer and a housewife in July 1954 in the governorate of Kafr el-Sheikh, about 125 km north of the capital Cairo, Sabahy moved to the capital after high school to join the media college of Cairo University. Some of his earliest involvement in politics was at the student union, which he led for two years. His position as editor-in-chief of a student paper also reflected his activism.

Like many Egyptians enamored with the spirit of pan-Arabism and nationalism of late president Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Sabahy became a Nasserite and grew in popularity after his public debate with the assassinated president Anwar Sadat, who held meetings with university students following the infamous 1977 price hike that stirred public anger.

Face to face, Sabahy criticized Sadat's economic policies, alleged government corruption, and questioned Sadat's position on the Egypt's relations with Israel.

In January 1977, Sabahy was arrested during anti-Sadat protests and was the youngest on Sadat's arrest list, putting him in league with other well-known national figures targeted by Sadat.

During the time of strongman leader Mubarak, Sabahy was also subjected to a series of arrests. In 1997, he was arrested while leading anti-government marches of some angry farmers. Although he was a parliament member, he was arrested during protests in Tahrir Square in 2003 against the government's compliance with the US invasion of Iraq.

As a parliamentarian from 2000 to 2010, Sabahy was the first in 2008 to question exporting natural gas to Israel at below-market prices.

In 2009, Sabahy tried to run in the 2010 presidential race against Mubarak, but the amended Article 76 of the constitution then set strict conditions for running for president, making him ineligible.

Sabahy joined the 2011 anti-Mubarak mass uprising that toppled the strongman after almost three decades of his rule.

In November 2012, he became one of the main leaders of the National Salvation Front, an Egyptian opposition bloc that was formed against the rule of Islamist President Morsi.

Despite Sabahy's extensive experience in grassroots politics, many Egyptians are urging army chief and Defense Minister Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who carried out Morsi's removal, to run for president, viewing him as the "savior" of the country that has been grappling with political instability since the 2011 uprising.

In late August 2013, Sabahy voiced his support for Sisi, who has not yet officially declared his presidential bid, in the case that the latter runs for president, describing the military chief as "a national hero" while emphasizing that he believed Sisi will stay away from politics.