CAIRO, 7 August 2005 — Only 11 candidates will be able to compete for the top post in Egypt’s first contested presidential elections against President Hosni Mubarak, officials at the Higher Presidential Election Committee said yesterday.
“After going through all the applications we received, we think that not more than 11 candidates will be competing in the presidential race,” said an official at the committee. “We will meet again next week to re-verify the applications of candidates on the shortlist of candidates we have now and see if their applications meet conditions stated in the new Political Practice Law,” he added.
The new shortlist includes Mubarak, who has been in office since 1981, representing the ruling National Democratic Party, Noaman Gomaa, head of the opposition Wafd Liberal Party and Ayman Nour, chief of the opposition Al Ghad party.
Committee spokesman Osama Atawiya told Arab News the candidates whose applications are incomplete will be notified immediately and given 24 hours to reapply after defending their case before committee members.
He added that all independent candidates have been rejected due to their inability to failure to win the approval of at least 250 elected members of Parliament and municipal councils as stated in the constitution.
Several independent candidates have filed lawsuits, saying that it is impossible to get the approval of 250 elected members of Parliament and municipal councils since most of these councils are controlled by the ruling National Democratic Party.
In statement Nabih Al-Wahash, one of those whose candidacy has been rejected, criticized this prerequisite, saying it reflects racism among the candidates.
The first woman to present her candidacy for the presidential elections, Ashjan Al-Bakhari, told Arab News that she knows that her chances to win are very slim but she will not give in very easily.
Election campaigns are expected to kick off on Aug. 17, less than a month before the elections slated for Sept. 7.
