Presidential hopeful Mohamed Selim al-Awa said Thursday that former Vice President Omar Suleiman is the fugitive and detained former officials' candidate, rather than the military council's candidate.
Awa said during an interview with the privately-owned Tahrir channel that Suleiman will not receive votes, but the law banning former officials from running for president is a safeguard to protect the nation from harm.
He called on Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling military council, to immediately approve the law when he receives it. Awa noted that the Muslim Brotherhood had the right to nominate a presidential candidate, though he wished the candidate had been from the group’s political party, the Freedom and Justice Party, rather than from the Brotherhood itself.
The next president should have clearly delineated powers and should work under the supervision of Parliament, Awa said. Awa opined that strong leadership does not equal authoritarianism, but rather implies a vision for the rise of a nation. He added that the next president would be obligated to serve the people.
Awa said that the Islamist vote could be fragmented, especially after the nomination of Khairat al-Shater, and Mohamed Morsy, head of the FJP, as a backup candidate if Shater is disqualified.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
