Independent newspaper Al-Shorouk quotes this morning sources from the Muslim Brotherhood stating that its presidential candidate, Khairat al-Shater, voted in the last parliamentary elections despite the fact that he was not supposed to be allowed to exercise the right due to his prison sentence.
The Brotherhood on Saturday announced it had chosen Shater, the group’s former deputy supreme guide who had been imprisoned under ousted ruler Hosni Mubarak, as its presidential candidate.
But the paper also quotes an anonymous legal source who says Shater was pardoned on 15 March, which means his name wasn’t enrolled on the voter lists for earlier Parliamentary elections. Al-Shorouk adds that Shater’s legal situation needs an explanation from the Presidential Elections Commission.
The newspaper writes that legal sources from the Brotherhood say Shater’s name was never removed from voter lists and that he voted in parliamentary elections in the Nasr City constituency. Al-Shorouk adds that presidential candidate Ayman Nour is in a similar situation; both were acquitted after the database of voters’ lists was finalized on 8 March.
The independent newspaper also writes that the Wafd Party has declared its support for presidential candidate Amr Moussa. Meanwhile, presidential hopeful Mohamed Selim al-Awa said he will submit his candidacy application Wednesday after earning the support of 30 members of the People’s Assembly and Shura Council. The newspaper adds that Hamdeen Sabbahi, Ahmed Shafiq and Mortada Mansour — a lawyer accused of involvement in the Battle of the Camel during last year’s uprising — are also expected to submit their papers today.
Party paper Al-Wafd leads with the headline, “The presidential race lights up.” Salafis support the Islamist candidate while liberals lean toward a secular one, the paper says. Political analysts speculate that Islamists likely favor Shater, whose candidacy, Al-Wafd says, has negatively affected other candidates, such as Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh and Salafi candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail. Analysts say the Brotherhood has long planned to field a candidate for president, but that it simply waited for the right timing.
Al-Wafd also claims that after Shater met with a delegation from the US Congress, the US said it would not object to having Shater as president of Egypt and prefers him to Abu Ismail who declared, as part of his campaign, that he would revoke the Camp David peace treaty with Israel.
State-owned Al-Ahram writes that the Brotherhood negotiated with Abu Ismail to withdraw from the presidential race and promised him the post of vice president. The newspaper adds that Abu Ismail has denied Sheikh Tarek Youssef's statement from earlier this week that Abu Ismail’s mother has dual citizenship, which would make him inelligible for the post. Meanwhile, Hatem Bagato, who heads the Presidential Elections Commission, has denied that former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman submitted his candidacy application.
Freedom and Justice newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Muslim Brotherhood, writes, “Shater to complete his papers for presidency and submit them in a few days.” The newspaper adds that People’s Assembly and Shura Council MPs continue to submit signatures in support of Shater. A number of Salafi sheikhs met yesterday to discuss the candidate Abu Ismail, the paper writes.
The newspaper reports that some Salafi sheikhs after the four-hour meeting said they would support the withdrawal of Abu Ismail in favor of the Brotherhood candidate if the former is made vice president.
Egypt’s papers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run
Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Youm7: Daily, privately owned
Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned
Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party
Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
