The Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, plans to support Advisory Council head Mansour Hassan as Egypt's next president, sources within the group told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Tuesday. Hassan, who served as an information minister during the rule of former President Anwar al-Sadat, has not shown any desire to run in the presidential election. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that the party chose Hassan due to his wide acceptance among different political factions. The party is still discussing the matter with different political forces, said the sources. A campaign, led by an FJP member of parliament and other political forces, to support Hassan will be launched online in ten days, the sources added. In December, the group announced it is looking for a candidate to support in the presidential election scheduled for June. The Brotherhood is looking to back a strong figure, but not someone whose name has already been floated as a potential candidate, the group's spokesperson Mahmoud Ghazlan said in a statement to London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper. Several months ago, the Brotherhood banned members from running in the election and announced that it did not intend to nominate a candidate. The group expelled Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh after he announced his intention to run in violation of the decision. Other likely presidential candidates include former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, founder of the Karama Party Hamdeen Sabbahi, Salafi sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail and Islamic thinker Mohamed Selim al-Awa.
