CAIRO: Egypt's presidential elections will be held in late May, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported on Wednesday, quoting Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mohamed Attia. It also affirmed the military junta's commitment to opening presidential nominations on March 10 for a period of three weeks, but an exact date for the vote has yet to be established. “The candidates standing for president will be given around 6 weeks for campaigning,” said Attia. There is still much concern among activists and political leaders in the country who want either a constitution ahead of presidential elections, or an election before a constitution. Activists tell Bikyamasr.com that they are concerned over the direct role the military junta is playing in the upcoming vote, arguing that it could hurt the overall success and openness of the balloting. “Definitely it is a worry because we see over and over again how the military has a hand in everything, and it isn't invisible,” said Noha, a 23-year-old political studies graduate and unemployed activist. She told Bikyamasr.com that “the military is going to rig these elections I am sure of that. We need them out.” None of the potential candidates have yet made a statement on the decision to hold elections in May, but all candidates have been gearing up for the vote for months. The leading candidates for Egypt's top job are former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, leading moderate Islamist and former Muslim Brotherhood top official Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, liberal Hamdeen Sabahy, ultra-conservative Hazem Saleh Abu Ismail and former television talkshow host Bothaina Kamel, the first woman to campaign actively for the presidency. Leading candidate Mohamed ElBaradei has pulled out of the race. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/pKaQo Tags: Elections, featured, President, SCAF, Vote Section: Egypt, Latest News
