CAIRO, 26 July 2005 — Egypt’s electoral commission confirmed the Sept. 7 date for the first competitive presidential poll and announced yesterday contenders had a week to register their candidacy starting July 29.
After a meeting delayed by the deadly bombings in Sharm El-Sheikh and finally held on Sunday, the electoral commission said in a statement that candidates can register from July 29 to Aug. 4.
The campaign will kick off on Aug. 17 and end on Sept. 4, the statement said, adding that if necessary a second round would be held on Sept. 17.
If no candidate secures a majority in the first round, both front-runners will be allowed to campaign again between the two rounds.
To register, candidates need to produce 250 signatures of elected national or local officials and have until Aug. 23 to withdraw their candidacy after registering.
President Hosni Mubarak, 77, is widely expected to seek and win a fifth presidential mandate after already 24 years at the helm of the country.
The opposition has argued that the constitutional change introduced by Mubarak to allow for contested presidential elections had too many restrictions attached for any candidate to mount a serious challenge.
So far, only two candidates have clearly announced they would enter the race.
