Egypt: Parliament Bans Former Officials Of Mubarak Regime
The Egyptian parliament, dominated by Islamists, on Thursday approved a law that excludes former senior officials of the Hosni Mubarak regime from the presidential race. The law aims to prevent the former chief of intelligence Omar Suleiman from participating in the vote.
To become law, it has to be promulgated by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
The Muslim Brotherhood, the largest bloc in Parliament, called on Egyptians to protest Friday against the candidacy of Suleiman the man who for two decades was the master spy of Mubarak regime, before being promoted to the post of vice-president.
The law bans the candidacy of anyone who has also served as Prime Minister during the ten years preceding the fall of Hosni Mubarak (February 11, 2011), which is the case of another candidate, Ahmed Shafik, the former air force commander, who took over the government during the uprising of January 2011.
It does not apply to former ministers, however, like Amr Moussa, who has long headed the Egyptian foreign ministry before becoming Secretary General of the Arab League. The first round of presidential elections is scheduled on 23 and 24 May.
