After 14 month since the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak and his regime, Egypt's military junta finally approved the banning of public figures affiliated with the old regime, from participating in political life for a number of years, according to state-run al-Ahram newspaper. Vicious campaigning from human rights activists finally paid off and the decision brought relief to many. The ruling council said it sent the decision to the People's Assembly after Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) chief Hussein Tantawi, signed it late on Monday. The decision will mean that some of the presidential nominees will no longer have the right to run, most notably Ahmed Shafiq, former prime minister appointed by Mubarak in his early attempts to contain mass protests calling for his ousting in January 2011. The decree, locally known as “Azl,” literally ousting, will mean an end to many hopeful figures of staying in the decision-making circles. The final list of nominees will be announced on April 26, as the voting will kick off May 23. The law was first implemented by late President Gamal Abdul Nasser following the 1952 revolution against the monarchy and banned many former palace loyalists from taking part in the then new republic.
