Dr. Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, a likely presidential candidate, said there are desperate attempts to destroy the gains of the revolution. There are differences and mistrust between the forces of opposition against the principles of the revolution, he added. In an interview with Mahmoud Said on Tahrir television channel, Abul Fotuh Egypt's Prime Minister, Dr. Essam Sharaf, but said he should dismiss ministers incapable of doing their jobs. He suggested that Egyptians were deprived of democracy for 60 years and that it will take more than 5 years for them to create a real democracy. Abul Fotouh described himself as an independent candidate who does not represent any political force including the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Regarding his current relationship with the MB, he said he left the group as an administrator but is still faithful to the idea, pointing out that he still cherished the idea of the group which he joined 1974. He said he is not a MB candidate, but is a candidate for all categories of the Egyptian people including Muslims, Christians, leftists and other Egyptians. Aboul Fotouh said that some members of the Guidance Bureau were angry at the misunderstanding concerning the programs of the MB's new party. Aboul Fotouh mentioned the mistakes of former President Gamal Abdel Nasser. He said that Nasser used the 1952 Revolution to suppress freedom. The regime of former President Anwar Sadat was the time of unprecedented freedom in Egyptian history, he added. According to Aboul Fotouh, former President Hosni Mubarak's regime saw the collapse of Egyptian values. Aboul Fotouh also said he welcomed the candidacy of the prominent Islamist Dr Selim el-Awa, adding that he respects him as an intellectual.
