Prominent liberal politician Ayman Nour said Thursday he will run for president after submitting his initial candidacy papers to the Presidential Elections Commission on Friday. In a press conference, Nour, who is head of the Ghad al-Thawra Party, said the party's supreme authority decided in a meeting on Thursday to have him represent it in the election. The decision came after Supreme Council of the Armed Forces head Hussein Tantawi pardoned Nour of his previous conviction for forging signatures to register his political party in 2005, when he ran against then-President Hosni Mubarak. In 2009, he was released for what authorities said were health reasons. By Egyptian law, anyone convicted of such a charge cannot run for political office. Last October, an Egyptian court rejected an appeal by Nour to overturn the ruling. Nour added that he will perform Friday prayers at Al-Azhar Mosque, where he will deliver a speech to several politicians and preachers. He will then head to the Presidential Elections Commission to submit his application. Nour thanked the SCAF for his pardon in the press conference. He also called for it to pardon others deprived of their full political rights due to unfair rulings issued under the Mubarak regime. Following the conference, Nour left for a meeting between political party leaders and the SCAF regarding the constituent assembly. In January, Nour announced he was freezing his presidential campaign and would only enter the race when the SCAF handed power to a civilian government.
