CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) group has sacked senior member Abdel-Moniem Aboul-Fotouh for violating the group's decision not to contest the next presidential polls slated for later this year, deputy head of the MB Rashad Bayoumy said on Sunday. The Brotherhood has also announced that it will not support his candidacy since he challenged the group's Shoura (consultative) Council while he was still an active member, Bayoumy told Daily News Egypt. The MB had repeatedly announced it would not field a candidate for presidency in the coming poll. Aboul-Fotouh seemed not to be upset by the group's decision to terminate his membership. “This matter does not occupy me,” he told reporters at the airport a little after midnight upon his arrival from a 10-day trip to the UK. “I'm a candidate for all Egyptians. And I'm confident that I will gain the majority of votes including those of group members and on top of them that of the Brotherhood's Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie,” he said. Aboul-Fotouh's media advisor Ali El-Bahnasawy argued that the decision to run for president did not defy the group's will. “The MB has separated its political wing from its [religious preaching] by establishing a political party,” El-Bahnasawy told DNE. “The group's directives about politics are hence, illogical, as there is a political entity, the [Freedom and Justice] party, in charge of this aspect,” he added. El-Bahnasawy further said that the group can give religious instructions, which is not the case here. “The [action] the Brotherhood took [against Aboul-Fotouh] was merely political…Also Aboul-Fotouh never claimed to be a candidate representing the MB, and decided to run as independent,” he said. Aboul-Fotouh, a doctor known for his reformist views, said he had tentatively decided to run but would reserve his final decision until the law regulating presidential elections is drafted. The author of "A Witness to the History of Egypt's Islamic Movement," Aboul-Fotouh is also the secretary general of the Arab Medical Union. He also served in the MB's highest office (Guidance Council) for 25 years. El-Bahnasawy said Aboul-Fotouh believes he “appeals to moderate Egyptian voters.” “Aboul-Fotouh believes in separating religion from politics as well as granting equal rights to all Egyptians regardless of religion, sex or beliefs,” El-Bahnasawy said. In April, Aboul-Fotouh said during a televised interview that if he ran for president, he would quit the MB on the administrative level but would continue adopting the group's ideologies. Meanwhile, Islamic thinker and lawyer Mohamed Selim El-Awa reiterated in a press conference Saturday his earlier intention to run for president, the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. Aboul-Fotouh said he welcomed the candidacy of El-Awa, describing him as a man known for his “integrity and respect.” “I'm determined to continue till the end, though. I don't mind coordinating [with other candidates] but that would be coordination among competitors,” he said. On his part, El-Awa criticized the advocates of drafting a new constitution ahead of elections. “This is a kind of absurdity that turns a freely expressed will into a questionable one,” he said. El-Awa has reportedly given several lectures on the constitution in a bid to garner votes in favor of the amendments prior to a public referendum held on March 19. The minority who voted no accused Islamists of exploiting religion to sway people towards a yes vote, arguably to hasten parliamentary elections. The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) suspended the constitution on Feb. 13 after assuming power when former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down two days earlier after 18 days of popular revolt. A total of 77.2 percent voted yes in a referendum on amendments drafted by a committee of legal experts, while 22.8 percent cast a no vote, endorsing SCAF's push to hold elections before drafting a new constitution. Salafi groups are also believed to have an impact on voters, especially poor social segments, convincing them that casting a yes vote would be for the sake of Islam. The Egyptian Coalition for Monitoring Elections, made up of 123 civil society organizations and rights groups, said in a statement following the referendum that MB members were seen at several polling stations campaigning for a yes vote. Commenting on recent statements by Deputy Prime Minister and constitutional law professor Yehia El-Gamal and PM Essam Sharaf's calls for drafting a constitution first, El-Awa said that the “caretaker government has nothing to do with this issue.” On March 30, the SCAF announced a 62-article constitutional decree that included the 11 amended articles, stipulating that an elected parliament and president must call for drafting a new constitution within six months. Earlier last month, lawyer and Islamic preacher Hazem Abu Ismail announced his intention to run for president. Even though he defines himself as a prominent Brotherhood figure on his official website, the group said he is not an active member. “Abu Ismail is only a Brotherhood advocate who adopts the group's ideology,” Bayoumy said, adding that the group had not yet decided on a candidate to support. “Our criteria are based on electoral programs, visions and the abilities of candidates [not specific figures],” he said.
