Former army chief, leftist are only candidates in Egypt presidential poll
20 April 2014, 20:32 -- The former army general, who toppled Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, will face a leftist politician in next month's presidential election, as they were the only candidates to enter before nominations closed, the committee organizing the vote said on Sunday, according to Reuters.
The committee had received paperwork from former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and former parliamentarian and presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, it said at a news conference several hours after the deadline had passed.
Abdelaziz Salman, secretary-general of the Presidential Elections Committee, said that Sisi had submitted 188,930 signatures endorsing his candidacy to the committee, and Sabahi had submitted 31,555. The required number was 25,000.
The committee will announce the official list of candidates on May 2 for the vote on May 26-27.
Sisi, whose popularity has soared since he deposed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood last summer following massive protests, is expected to win the vote easily.
Egyptian court bans Brotherhood members from polls
An Egyptian court on Tuesday banned members of ousted president Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood from running in upcoming elections, a lawyer and state media said. Egypt's military-installed authorities are engaged in a deadly crackdown against the Islamist movement, which swept elections in Egypt after the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 but is now blacklisted as a 'terrorist group.'
Former Egypt President Mubarak supports Sisi's presidential bid
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has received backing for his presidential bid from former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, an Egyptian news website reported.
Mubarak criticised Sisi's main rival, Hamdeen Sabahi, describing him as 'not capable of becoming Egypt's president.' He also expressed caution about the Muslim Brotherhood's reaction to a Sisi presidency, warning that the country needed to maintain a 'high degree of vigilance.'
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