Supporters of the disqualified presidential hopeful Hazem Salah Abu Ismail clashed on Tuesday evening with Central Security Forces tasked with securing the headquarters of the Presidential Elections Commission in Heliopolis. The supporters raised their shoes at the forces after the commission issued its decision to disqualify ten hopefuls. Some of Abu Ismail's supporters tried to stop their colleagues from assaulting the forces, and then both sides of the supporters clashed with each other. Abu Ismail spoke to his supporters saying “I feel that what happening is conspiracy and treason.” Shortly after the commission announced its decision, Abu Ismail called for an open-ended sit-in in front of the commission to protest his exclusion from the race. He first tried to storm into the building but was stopped by security. His supporters told the Middle East News Agency that hundreds of them are on their way to join the sit-in. Abu Ismail had on Monday accused the commission of using forged documents to prove that his mother, Nawal Abdel Aziz Nour, carried US citizenship, the reason for his exclusion. According to the Constitutional Declaration of March 2011, presidential candidates must be Egyptians born to Egyptian parents. Abu Ismail had emerged as one of the front-runners in the race since the 25 January uprising. He and his followers accused Western countries and Egypt's ruling generals, who are concerned by his desire for stronger Islamic law, of trying to eliminate him from next month's ballot. They held a mass protest against the alleged intervention last Friday.
