Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

Egypt's Islamists Rally Against Presidential Candidates from Former Regime

CAIRO, April 13, 2012 (Xinhua) --

 Tens of thousands of Egyptians flooded to Cairo's center Tahrir square Friday for a rally to protest presidential candidates who served in former president Hosni Mubarak's regime.

The rally was stirred up by Islamists, namely the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists, after former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman announced candidacy last week.

"Candidacy of former regime remnants means the revolution is useless, as the same corruption of the former era will be there," Salafist protestor Abdallah Sedky told Xinhua.

Two stages were set up in the square, one by members of the Muslim Brotherhood and the other by supporters of Salafist candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail.

"When the corruption prevails, it's time to fight," protestors supporting the Salafist candidate shouted in the demonstrations.

Egypt's parliament passed a bill on Thursday to impose a 10- year political isolation on senior officials of the former regime in an apparent attempt to ban some liberal candidates from running in the presidential race.

"We are here to urge and force the constitutional court and military council to approve the disfranchisement law suggested by the parliament," Haiam al-Kady, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood 's Freedom and Justice Party told Xinhua.

"Step down to the military rule," read placards hung by the protestors in the rally.

Islamist Wasat Party and Revolution Board of Trustees joined the rally, while other liberal political forces like the Union of Revolution's Youth pledged a "million rally" next Friday in protest of the former regime's presidential candidates.

"We are here to say no for those who think they can seize the revolution," Secretary General of the Revolution Board of Trustees Safwat Hegazy told Xinhua.

"The parliament passed the disfranchisement bill, and we know the military council won't approve it because it supports Omar Suleiman," Hegazy added.

Political tensions are prevailing in Egypt as the country is set to hold on May 23 and May 24 the first presidential elections after Mubarak's fall.

A total of 23 candidates submitted their applications for the presidential race, including former deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood Khairat al-Shater, Salafist Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, Freedom and Justice Party chairman Mohamed Morsi, former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa.

The election commission will announce the final list of presidential candidates on April 26.

Islamists rally in Cairo against Mubarak 'leftovers'

France 24, April 13, 2012, By News Wires (text)

AFP -

Thousands of Islamists demonstrated in Egypt on Friday to demand that members of ousted president Hosni Mubarak's regime be barred from standing in next month's presidential election.

They gathered in an upbeat mood in the capital's iconic Tahrir Square, symbol of the popular protest movement that led to last year's downfall of Mubarak, amid chants of "No to leftovers from the old regime!"

"We don't want Omar Suleiman!" they cried, referring to Mubarak's former intelligence chief who was also briefly vice president, and who had sought to make a return to political life as a candidate in the May 23-24 election.

Egypt one year on

Friday's demonstration came a day after the Islamist-dominated parliament approved a law that would ban former regime members from standing for public office.

The law, which still has to be approved by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), could see former officials such as Suleiman disqualified.

The SCAF, which took over when Mubarak stood down on February 11, 2011, is widely seen as backing Suleiman's candidacy for president.

"The people want to bring down the military!" protesters chanted on Friday after the SCAF on Thursday insisted it "does not back any of the presidential candidates."

Mubarak's last premier Ahmed Shafiq, as well as former Arab League chief and long-time foreign minister Amr Mussa, are also candidates in next month's poll for the top job and would be disqualified if the new law is ratified.

"No to Shafiq, no to Suleiman -- we will return to Tahrir!" the demonstrators warned.

Khairat El-Shater, presidential candidate for the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, has denounced Suleiman's attempt to make a political comeback, likening it to an attempt "to steal the revolution" and warned it could spark huge street protests.

Friday's demonstration was called by the Brotherhood, now Egypt's main political force, and more hardline Salafist groups in statements on their websites demanding the "protection of the revolution."

It was staged in a relaxed atmosphere with many women and children present as demonstrators poured into the square from across the city.

Liberal and secular groups also do not wish to see the return of Mubarak-era figures, but they stayed away from Friday's protest.

They have instead called a demonstration on April 20 to denounce what they see as Islamist monopolisation of political life in the country since the revolt.

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Egypt ends application process for presidential candidates

CAIRO, April 8, 2012 (Xinhua) --

Egypt's election commission on Sunday ended the application process for presidential candidacy which started one month ago, with more than 15 figures joining the race.

The registration ended at 2:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) on Sunday, when some prominent figures, such as Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood's second candidate and chairman of its Freedom and Justice Party, and Omar Suleiman, former Egyptian intelligence chief, submitted their papers.

Other promising candidates include former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik, former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, former deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood Khairat al-Shater and Salafist candidate Hazem Salah Abou Ismail.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which had insisted on not running in the presidential race, first nominated Shater and then proposed Morsi as a possible substitute, as Shater may fail to meet the requirements because he had been jailed several times during the rule of ex-President Hosni Mubarak.

Ismail is also likely to be excluded from the presidential race as the Higher Presidential Election Commission on Saturday confirmed that his late mother obtained U.S. nationality in 2006.

Under the current election rules, the presidential candidates, and their parents and wives can only have Egyptian nationality.

The final list of candidates will be announced on April 26.

Egypt will hold the presidential vote, the first after the fall of Mubarak, on May 23 and May 24.

Editor: Mu Xuequan