Former Egyptian television anchor and activist Bothaina Kamel announced on her Twitter account late Friday evening Cairo time that she plans to run for president in the next round of elections, making her the first woman ever to announce her candidacy for Egypt's highest office. “I intend to run for [the] presidency in 2011,” Kamel wrote. Coinciding with the announcement, she also changed her profile description to “Journalist & Mother and Egyptian presidential nominee.” Kamel was active before and during the 18 day revolution that brought down former President Hosni Mubarak on February 11. She is known as being a supporter of the youth movements and a familiar face at almost all pro-democracy protests in previous years leading up to the January 25 movement. Kamel began her career in radio where she hosted a popular radio show called “e3terafat li'leya,” or “Nightly Confessions,” where anonymous callers told her personal stories. She later moved to television, and until recently hosted “argook ifhemny,” or “Please Understand Me,” where she interviewed many social and political figures in Egypt. BM
