Current Secretary-General Amr Moussa plans to run in Egypt’s presidential election set for later this year.

El-Fiqqi served as deputy foreign minister and then ran for parliament in 2005 with the ruling National Democratic Party, in a contest widely described as rigged.

He was head of parliament’s Arab affairs committee and frequently spoke on behalf of the party. He resigned after the popular uprising against the government began on Jan. 25.

Qatar has already nominated Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, who served as the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council.