CAIRO - Young Egyptians who are savvy about the Internet and want greater freedom would have nothing to fear if former Hosni Mubarak military commander Ahmed Shafik is elected president, the candidate said Seeking to quell fears of youth activists who say a Shafik presidency would bring back Mubarak's autocratic state, the former air force commander said he would not clamp down on freedom of expression. "No youth will be jailed for his political activities or expressing his views in the new republic (of Egypt). Fear not for your future," Shafik said at a press conference while thousands of protesters rallied in Cairo's Tahrir Square against him. "I follow what you write on the Internet, Facebook and Twitter. I promise to guarantee the freedom of the Internet. We will develop telecommunication," he said, addressing youth from the setting of a five-star golf resort on the outskirts of Cairo. Egypt's run-off vote on June 16-17 pits Shafik, Mubarak's last prime minister, against the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, polarising voters who fear a return to autocratic rule under Shafik or a radical shift to an Islamic state led by the Brotherhood. In Tahrir Square, miles away from the security-packed hotel, young people of various political backgrounds said the idea of a post-revolution Egypt run by a former military man and Mubarak associate was hard to stomach. "Shafik represents the counter-revolution. He is a former military man and one of Mubarak's henchmen. As president he will consolidate the grip of security forces on society. The freedom we fought and many of us died fighting for are at risk," a leading activist who asked not to be named said. Outside the plush hotel where Shafik addressed supporters and journalists, two interior ministry trucks full of riot police stood guard while senior police officers were present at the event. Some said they supported Shafik.
