CAIRO — Egypt's independent presidential election commission on Sunday pulled down the curtain on candidacy applications, leaving the presidential race between resigned defense minister Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and former presidential contender Hamdeen Sabahi.

The commission, which is made up of senior judges, said only the two hopefuls had met candidacy requirements and submitted their applications on time.

Presidential hopefuls were supposed to pass medical tests and submit 25,000 written endorsements from eligible voters from at least 15 of Egypt's 27 provinces.

Election Commission Secretary-General Abdel-Aziz Salman said al-Sisi had submitted more than 188,000 endorsements while Sabahi hand over some 31,000 endorsements.

Election propaganda would start in early May and last until May 23.

The presidential elections, scheduled for May 26/27, is the second step on Egypt's transitional roadmap announced with the army's ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi on July 3 last year.