Mubarak's ex-premier barred from presidential race
Source: Reuters
Mubarak's ex-premier barred from presidential race
By Shaimaa Fayed and Tom Perry
CAIRO | Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:54am EDT
(Reuters) - Egypt's ruling military has approved a law banning Hosni Mubarak's top former officials from running for president, ruling out his last prime minister and possibly helping former Arab League chief Amr Moussa in his race against Islamists.
Ahmed Shafiq's elimination narrows the options for Egyptians who do not want an Islamist head of state: the other front-runners are the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi and Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, a former member of the group.
Egypt holds its first presidential election since Mubarak's overthrow in February 2011 on May 23 and 24, with a likely run-off between the top two candidates in June. The ruling generals are due to hand power to the new president on July 1.
The sketchy opinion polls that are available put Moussa in the lead, suggesting he will head into the run-off against one of the Islamists. However, many voters are undecided.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/24/us-egypt-elections-law-idUSBRE83N0SV20120424