CAIRO - Ahmed Shafiq, a former Egyptian air force commander and close associate of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak, said he planned to stand in the country's presidential elections, insisting that experience was more important than background. Mubarak appointed Shafiq as prime minister as an uprising against his rule gathered pace in late January. Shafiq held onto the post for three weeks following Mubarak's overthrow before the army removed him in a cabinet reshuffle to meet popular demands for a purge of the former president's associates. Since then the 70-year-old Shafiq has largely withdrawn from public life. Asked by Aswat Masriya (Egyptian Voices), a website set up by the Thomson Reuters Foundation if he would make a presidential bid, Shafiq said: "Yes, I intend to run for president." Some Egyptians believe the generals who took power after the overthrow of Mubarak – himself a former air force commander – plan to back an ex-military figure to run for president in order to keep hold of the levers of power. Shafiq tried to distance himself from his military past. "Every candidate relies on his popularity and administrative and political experience. The military service is beside the point," Shafiq added. Shafiq said he had not decided when to begin his election campaign and he may even withdraw from the race if "a more suitable candidate" appears.
