Egypt is preparing for its first presidential elections after the ousting of long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak. The elections will take place on May 23 and 24 with runoffs scheduled in June. The country’s election commission released a final list of 13 candidates eligible to run for the seat, but three contenders previously seen as frontrunners, Omar Suleiman, Khairat al-Shater, and Hazem Abu Ismail, were denied approval.
The military council had approved a new law denying political rights to anyone who served as president, vice president, or prime minister in the decade prior to Mubarak’s departure. Suleiman had briefly served as Mubarak’s vice president and was the former spy chief. And although Suleiman has been axed from the running, Ahmed Shafiq – the last prime minister to serve under Mubarak – was reinstated as a contender.
Candidates now considered being frontrunners include Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, an independent moderate with past affiliations with the Muslim Brotherhood; Amr Moussa, former head of the Arab League; and Mohammed Morsi, chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party. However, protestors camped outside the Ministry of Defense beginning April 28 to voice anger over the disqualified candidates, particularly Abu Ismael. The former presidential contender, a member of the Islamist party, was banned after evidence surfaced that his late mother had US citizenship. Demonstrators were attacked by unknown assailants on May 2 with the death toll around 11-13 people and at least 100 injured. While some are blaming the military for the escalated violence, others are not in agreement with Abu Ismael being allowed to rejoin the presidential campaign. Just as during revolution days, residents in the area formed neighborhood watches while the military blocked some streets leading to the Ministry, but the armed forces did not interfere in the fighting between the protesters and the unidentified attackers.
On May 4, clashes continued with the Ministry of Health reporting that at least one soldier had died with about 300 people wounded. Protestors ignored army warnings and tried to break through a protective barrier composed of barbed wire with soldiers responding with water cannons and tear gas. The army said proceedings against those arrested had already started in military courts.
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