Election updates during the week of April 2:
- Seven new candidates officially entered the race, bringing the total of official candidates up to 15. The official candidates are listed below; for more information on candidates please visit our Candidates page.
- Mahmoud Hossameddin Galal
- Mohamed Selim Al-Awa
- Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Gharib
- Khairat Al-Shater
- Ahmed Mohamed Shafiq
- Hamdeen Sabbahi
- Ayman Nour
- Omar Suleiman announced his intent to enter the race. A Suleiman candidacy is sure to be controversial due to the former intelligence chief’s close ties to the Mubarak regime.
- The Muslim Brotherhood’s nomination of Khairat Al-Shater continued to prove controversial and divisive within the Islamist community. Many have spoken out against the Al-Shater nomination, including fellow Islamist candidate Abul-Fotouh and former Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Kamal Al-Helbawy (Al-Helbawy resigned in protest of the nomination). Others, including Aboud Al-Zomor, a prominent figure in Jama’a Al-Islamiyya, have spoken out in support of the decision. (Read more here and here)
- In an apparent confirmation of continued rumors, the PEC announced that it acquired documents indicating that candidate Abu-Ismail’s mother held American citizenship; this could be grounds for disqualifying Abu-Ismail from the race, a decision which would certainly be controversial. Abu-Ismail has announced his intent to file suit against the commission. (Read more here)
- The controversial Constituent Assembly convened for the second time on Wednesday April 4. Members who have withdrawn have rejected a deadline for their return proposed by the remaining delegates. The primary product of Wednesday’s meeting was a draft of bylaws for the assembly; if passed, these laws would render all future sessions of the assembly closed to the public and press. (Read more here)
Recommended reading:
- Two pieces from The Arabist on the Al-Shater candidacy, here and here.
- Our piece on the role of the PEC in deciding the Egyptian elections, here.
- Our profiles of the four leading candidates, here and on PolicyMic.
