Preacher Safwat Hegazy on Sunday said he will not register to run in the presidential elections slated for 23 and 24 May, after visiting the Presidential Elections Commission.
Hegazy had earlier declared his intention to run as the candidate for Jama'a al-Islamiya's Construction and Development Party.
While leaving the commission, Hegazy said he did not file his candidacy papers, although they were complete, after he made sure that a "large number of honorable people" had applied.
He said the reason behind his withdrawal was the fact that more than one Islamist candidate had applied and that he was afraid of the exclusion of honorable people such as Ayman Nour, Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, Khairat al-Shater and Mohamed Selim al-Awa.
He said it does not matter which candidate people agree on but rather which candidate they agree to be against. He then launched an attack on Omar Suleiman and Ahmed Shafiq, saying they are working to reproduce the former regime.
In a press statement, Hegazy warned against rigging the elections and said Egyptians will organize a million-man protest to prevent this from happening.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
