Egyptian presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafiq on Tuesday hinted that he has obtained the support of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, to run for president. The state-run Al-Ahram newspaper website quoted Shafiq as saying he discussed the matter with Tantawi in an informal way, as they are friends. "I would have withdrawn my candidacy had he told me not to run, due to the sensitivity of the situation,” Shafiq said, denying that he is the military council's candidate for the post. “The council is not fielding anyone in particular.” Last December, Shafiq spoke openly about his strong ties with the SCAF. “We are chummy,” he said, though he denied then that the military has endorsed his candidacy. Former President Hosni Mubarak appointed Shafiq prime minister on 29 January 2011 in response to massive popular protests challenging his rule. Shafiq remained in office for three weeks following Mubarak's resignation. But with revolutionary protesters demanding the removal of all remnants of the Mubarak regime, he was sacked by the SCAF in a subsequent cabinet reshuffle. Shafiq, 70, has largely disappeared from the public spotlight since then. A former commander in the Egyptian air force, he was selected as civil aviation minister in 2002 and served in that position until his appointment as prime minister.
