CAIRO, 12 August 2005 — Egypt’s Presidential Election Commission announced yesterday the final list of candidates to compete in the country’s first direct multi-candidate presidential elections due on Sept. 7.

“Ten candidates are qualified to run in the elections,” the commission, entrusted with organizing the presidential race, said in a statement.

The committee said in a statement Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, representing the ruling National Democratic Party, leads the final list of candidates whose applications were accepted after meeting conditions to run for president.

The other 9 qualified candidates are New Wafd party’s leader Noaman Khalil Gomaa and Al-Ghad (Tomorrow) party leader Ayman Nour.

The other seven are Ummah party leader Ahmed Al Sabahi Awadallah, Al Takafol (Solidarity) leader Osama Shaltout, Constitutional Party leader Mamdouh Qinawi, Egypt 2000 leader Fawzi Ghazal, Unionist Democratic Party leader Ibrahim Turk, Al Wifaq Al Watani Party leader Refat Al Agroudi and Arab Socialist Party leader Wahid Al Uqsori.

None of the independent hopefuls could meet conditions for candidacy, including approval by 250 members of Parliament and locally elected councils, as stipulated in the amended electoral law allowing the country’s first multi-candidates presidential poll.

A referendum in May approved a major constitutional amendment, paving the way for direct multi-candidate presidential elections in Egypt.

The new rule abolished an old system under which a sole presidential candidate chosen by Parliament was put to a referendum for endorsement.

Under a timetable decided by the commission, election campaign period will be from Aug. 17 and end on Sept. 4, seventy-two hours before the election day.

If no candidate wins at least 50 percent of valid votes on Sept.7, voters will have to choose between the top two candidates in the second round of voting on Sept. 17.

Candidates receive $500,000 each from the state budget to administer and finance their electoral campaigns, but Mubarak, Jomaa and Nour announced their parties will be financing their campaigns.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition group which is banned by the government, are divided over whether to boycott the country’s forthcoming election, according to the group’s Vice-President Muhammad Habib.

“There are many members who want to boycott the elections altogether and other members who want the group to nominate a candidate to represent the Muslim Brotherhood,” said Habib. “And there are also members who want to choose one of the candidates on the shortlist of candidates to compete against incumbent President Hosni Mubarak,” he told Arab News.

The Muslim Brotherhood has previously said it would nominate a secular politician as a candidate for Egypt’s presidential election scheduled for September. The group then chose to field former Defense Minister Abdel Halim Abu Ghazala as its candidate to enable the Muslim Brotherhood to take part in the elections as a secular political group.

In related news, the Ministry of Information said yesterday that six new Egyptian newspapers are expected to hit newsstands in the next few days for the elections.

The most two most prominent papers are likely to be one expected to back President Mubarak, and another — edited by 20 young journalists — supporting the opposition Al Ghad (Tomorrow) party and its presidential candidate Ayman Nour.