CAIRO, 9 August 2005 — The Higher Presidential Election Committee yesterday endorsed just 10 candidates wanting to run in the country’s first contested presidential poll next month, including President Hosni Mubarak.
“Twenty applicants were rejected and 10 were approved to run for the presidential election, but the rejected applicants have 48 hours to appeal,” an electoral commission statement said.
Those who did not make the cut for the Sept. 7 election have 48 hours to contest the decision and the commission will review their case within the following 24 hours. A final list is due to be announced not later than Aug. 13.
Among the short-listed candidates are Mubarak, the head of the ruling National Democratic Party, who will seek a fifth six-year mandate, and his main rival, prominent opposition leader Ayman Nour from Al-Ghad (Tomorrow).
