Egypt gears up for its first post-revolution presidential elections scheduled on 23-24 May after the Presidential Elections Commission announced on Tuesday the final disqualification of 10 candidates, paving the way for 13 others. A final list of candidates will be announced on 26 April, when the election campaign officially begins Amr Moussa The 75-year-old career diplomat became foreign minister in 1991 in which post he gained an unprecedented degree of popularity. While some called for him to be appointed as vice president, he was instead shunted upstairs, becoming the sixth Egyptian secretary-general of the Arab League, a post he occupied for a decade. His supporters come from all walks of life, though they exclude hardcore Islamists, who see him as too liberal, and hardcore revolutionaries who object to his serving under Mubarak. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh The 61-year-old paediatrician has served as secretary-general of the Arab Doctors' Union and was for years a popular member of the Muslim Brotherhood from which he was expelled when he announced his intention to stand in the presidential elections. A long time opponent of the ruling regime, in his youth he was a member of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya before shifting to the less radical Muslim Brotherhood. His constituency includes young Islamists, including some Salafis, leftists, revolutionaries and supporters of Mohamed El-Baradei. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hamdeen Sabahi The 58-year-old Nasserist began his political life as a student in the 1970s. A former MP, and leader of the Karama Party, he says he is inspired by the example of Gamal Abdel-Nasser but has no illusions about the mistakes Nasser made. He has some support in revolutionary quarters, and may attract voters who find his emphasis on helping the poor and underprivileged appealing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mohamed Mursi The Freedom and Justice Party's 61- year-old leader replaces Khairat El-Shater as the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate. He has a PhD in engineering. His constituency appears to be limited to members of the Muslim Brotherhood and there is doubt that he will be able to appeal much beyond his core supporters given his low key personality and lack of charisma. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hisham El-Bastawisi The Tagammu Party's 61-year- old candidate spoke out regularly against corruption in the last year of Mubarak's rule. As a judge, his denunciation of electoral violations carried weight with the public. He is thought to enjoy some support among revolutionary quarters and middle class professionals. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mohamed Selim El-Awwa The 70-year-old Islamic intellectual and former chair of the International Union of Muslim Ulamas is a lawyer by profession. Running as an independent, his chances are thought to be compromised by his association with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, wanted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court, and by his controversial stands on Muslim-Coptic issues. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ahmed Shafik On 29 January, four days after the start of the 25 January Revolution, President Hosni Mubarak appointed 71-year- old Shafik as prime minister, a post he held for weeks before being forced out by public pressure. He had earlier served as minister of civil aviation where his administrative skills helped upgrade the national carrier EgyptAir. Revolutionary forces have objected to the nomination of a man who served under Mubarak, particularly during the 25 January Revolution when unarmed demonstrators were brutally attacked. His support comes largely from former members of the defunct National Democratic Party and the business community. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Khaled Ali The 40-year-old socialist lawyer and human rights activist gained attention by his concerted campaigns against the corrupt privatisation of public companies and for his spirited defence of workers' rights. A vocal opponent of the Mubarak regime he was one of the high profile faces during the revolution. His support comes from workers, leftist political activists and revolutionaries. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Abdallah El-Ashaal The 67-year-old candidate of the Salafi Asala Party is a career diplomat with a PhD in international law. Initially he presented himself as an independent candidate, announcing that he would pull out of the race in favour of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Khairat El-Shater. Later he agreed to run on behalf of the Asala. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Abul-Ezz El-Hariri The Socialist Popular Coalition Party's candidate, a 66-year-old veteran leftist and long time critic of the Mubarak regime, served as an outspoken member of the opposition in several Mubarak era parliaments. He is supported by his party and the Revolution Continues Coalition and hopes to attract voters by appealing to their sense of social justice and by promising to tackle corruption. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hossam Khairallah The Democratic Peace Party's candidate is a 67- year-old former intelligence agent who graduated from the Military Academy and served as a soldier during the October War. He has promoted himself as "the runner with the required strategic outlook" and hinted, on the basis of flimsy evidence at best, that he has the support of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mohamed Fawzi Eissa The Generation Democratic Party's 68- year-old candidate is a former police officer who later obtained a PhD in law. His support base appears to be limited to his party. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mahmoud Hossam The 48-year old former police officer appears to lack any firm constituency. His political views are largely unknown. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Out of the race ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hazem Salah Abu Ismail Salafi hardliner, 61, a lawyer and preacher with a large following across Egypt. He attracted much support in the early stages of his campaign, with loyalists demanding he remain in the race even after it emerged that his mother had taken out US citizenship, thus making him ineligible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Omar Suleiman Mubarak's vice president and spy chief, the 76-year-old graduate of the military served as head of intelligence for two decades, and as vice president for two weeks. His nomination was welcomed by those who fear the rise of the Islamists, by Mubarak sympathisers and many members of the business community, and opposed by revolutionary forces, Islamists and liberals alike. Disqualified when irregularities in the 30,000 recommendations required by independent candidates were discovered in his nomination ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Khairat El-Shater Multi-millionaire businessman, the Muslim Brotherhood's 62 year-old candidate, who resigned as deputy supreme guide to run for the post, is seen as a hardliner within the group. He enjoys considerable support within the Muslim Brotherhood, though his name was relatively unknown outside the group until recently. Imprisoned under Mubarak, he has been disqualified because the pardon he received from SCAF does not override the legal requirement that he complete his sentence and apply for a court rehabilitation order before exercising his political rights. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ayman Nour An outspoken critic of the Mubarak regime, the 48-year-old Nour contested the 2005 presidential election only to end in prison on what many suspect were trumped up charges. Originally a member of the Wafd Party, he left to form the Ghad, the party he represented as a presidential candidate. Disqualified for the same reasons as El-Shater. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Murtada Mansour The acid tongued, 60-year-old lawyer is a regular fixture in the libel courts. Ostensibly the candidate of Egypt's Nationalist Party, he was disqualified because the party's own leadership is currently being contested in the courts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ahmed El-Saaidi Archaeologist, 50, little is known of El-Saaidi's political background. Another candidate of Egypt's Nationalist Party, he was disqualified for the same reasons as Murtada Mansour. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mamdouh Qotb A former member of the intelligence services, little is known of his political leanings. Having represented himself as the candidate of the Hadara Party he was disqualified when it emerged that the party did not support him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ashraf Barouma The Misr Al-Kinana Party's candidate, a 43-year-old chemist about whose political views nothing is known, was disqualified for failing to do his military service. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ibrahim El-Garib The 57-year-old independent MP was barred from running because he has dual citizenship. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hossam Khairat The Egyptian Arab Socialist Party's 60-year-old candidate was disqualified following internal divisions within his party. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
