CAIRO: Egypt's presidential candidates will determine a timeline for presidential elections and the transfer of power to a civilian president, said potential presidential candidate Mohamed Selim al-Awa. According to Medhat Hassan, al-Awa's media manager, al-Awa did not say that presidential candidates will withdraw confidence from the country's ruling military council during a meeting today. Al-Awa has not yet begun his campaign because a date for presidential elections has not been determined, al-Awa said in a meeting with journalists. This does not mean he will be away from the Egyptian people, he said, adding that he will communicate with the people as a citizen and not as a presidential candidate. Egypt's ruling military council “must announce ending all elections by February 2012,” al-Awa said. “The military council is politically confused now. They must leave the rule to civilians in order to end this confusion,” he added. Awa said he stayed in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt's January 25 Revolution, for 16 days during the uprising that toppled Egypt's former regime. He promised the people to turn Egypt into electoral state. “We promised the people and we have to meet our promises,” said Awa.
