Abu Al Fotouh to back brotherhood against Mubarak-era premier
By Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent GULF NEWS
Cairo: The streets in the Egyptian capital appeared almost deserted yesterday as most of the city’s 17 million peopulation stayed glued to TV screens following the latest reports on the landmark presidential election.
Preliminary results show that Mohammad Mursi, a candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Ahmad Shafiq, Hosni Mubarak’s last premier, are the top contenders in the polls. But neither secured a clear majority to avoid a runoff vote scheduled for June 16-17.
Islamist candidate Abdul Moneim Abu Al Fotouh, who failed to get enough votes in Egypt’s presidential race to make the run-off, yesterday said he would back the Brotherhood in its bid to defeat Shafiq.
Mursi collected 26 per cent of the vote count in 25 of Egypt’s 27 governorates, according to preliminary results released yesterday. Shafiq followed with 24 per cent, with the leftist contender Hamdeen Sabahi getting 20 per cent.
A protest against presidential candidate Ahmad Shafiq in Cairo’s Tahrir Square yesterday. The prospect of Shafiq succeeding Hosni Mubarak as president of Egypt is a nightmare for revolutionaries and Islamists.