CAIRO - The presidential race officially got off the ground Monday with 13 contenders. But how many will complete the marathon? With the elections only 22 days away, at least six contestants, with the smallest chances, are likely to drop out. Haggling is already under way among some presidential contenders, who share the same ideology, with some probably willing to bow out in favour of others, in return for certain rewards, i.e. senior posts in the new presidential era. Islamist groups, for one, are seriously discussing among themselves the possibility of picking one of the three Islamist hopefuls –the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi; the Brotherhood dissident Abdel-Moneim Abul Fotouh; and lawyer-cum-thinker Selim el-Awwa. In the same vein, the leftists are huddling among themselves to decide on one of their three contenders: Hamdeen Sabahi, Hesham el-Bastaweissi and Abul Ezz el-Hariri. The rights lawyer, Khaled Ali, the youngest presidential hopeful, may be added to this species of contenders, as he espouses a manifesto promoting social justice, comprehensive healthcare and a major role for the State. These hectic bids are mainly aimed at heading off the split between Islamist and leftist votes. The liberals, meanwhile, appear undecided for whom they should vote. While Abul Fotouh projects himself as a liberal, his background as a former senior official in the Muslim Brotherhood makes many secularists and liberals uneasy. Herein appears Amr Moussa, Egypt's outspoken former foreign minister, a veteran statesman, who portrays himself as a staunch advocate of a civil state. He may appeal to the Christian minority, who are understandably worried over having an Islamist as Egypt's next president. Nonetheless, many young people, who led the revolution against Mubarak, view Moussa as an extension of the former regime. Moussa served as Mubarak's foreign minister for a whole decade, from 1991 until 2001. Having been dramatically allowed back in the presidential race after a brief disqualification, Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last premier, is set to vie with Moussa for the votes of former regime loyalists and those favouring an experienced statesman who is capable of re-establishing stability in the country. Accordingly, the list of the finalists for the May 23-24 presidential polls may well boil down to five: Mursi, Moussa, Abul Fotouh, Sabahi and Shafiq. A run-off is most likely. Who will eventually hold Egypt 's top post is hard to say, given the changing alliances and the massive bloc of undecided voters.
