Former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh said late Monday that President Mohamed Morsy had not offered him the post of vice president, stressing that he does not seek any position in the government and that he supports Morsy in the interest of Egypt.
Morsy has yet to announce his presidential team. Recently appointed Prime Minister Hesham Qandil has said the new cabinet formation would be declared on Thursday.
Earlier on Tuesday, the liberal Wafd Party newspaper’s website said Morsy had agreed to appoint Abouel Fotouh as a member of his presidential team in a meeting Monday.
In a meeting with members of his presidential campaign in Mahalla, Abouel Fotouh, who finished fourth in the presidential elections, demanded that Morsy explain his selection of former Irrigation Minister Qandil as new prime minister. He said the “blackout” around that decision harkens to the techniques of the ousted regime, and is unfitting of the post-revolution period.
Abouel Fotouh noted that Morsy has not used his presidential powers yet and needs popular support in the face of pressure from vestiges of the former regime.
He said the choice in the presidential runoffs between Morsy and former PM Ahmed Shafiq was difficult, noting that polling results had proven that the old regime is still present, and its machinery and institutions have been working to isolate the elected president.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
