Muslim Brotherhood sources have said the group would not announce who it is backing for president until after the period of candidate registration has closed so as not to burn his cards, as they put it. They also said he would be a surprise to everybody.

The sources added that the group would not support Amr Moussa or Ahmed Shafiq, as they worked with the former regime, nor would it support Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, Hazem Abu Ismail or Mohamed Selim al-Awa, as the group had previously announced that it will not support candidates who belong to certain Islamist movements.

“Our candidate will be a true Muslim,” said Saber Abdel Sadeq, a member of the Freedom and Justice Party’s executive committee. “We will not support a candidate who believes in secularism.”

The sources also said the candidate would choose his vice president from the Brotherhood so as to ensure that the young group members do not vote for Abouel Fotouh.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm