Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa said he will run for the Egyptian presidency.
In an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm, he said, "I am ready to nominate myself for the presidency. I see this as a duty and responsibility," adding that there is a demand for him to run.
Moussa said that he is currently putting together his election platform, which will be announced when appropriate. He said it will result from deliberations and proactive thinking with a group of thinkers, and the ideas will be discussed with larger groups in the near future.
"In the new era, the door is open for everyone to participate. And that new era begins with empowerment and opening the door to genuine competition."
The presidential election should precede the parliamentary poll, Moussa said, for this would give an opportunity for political parties to attract supporters and voters. "I believe the Egyptian system should be a presidential and not a parliamentary one in the current stage."
Independent legal experts in Egypt have called for transforming the political system to a parliamentary republic when drafting the new Constitution, so the president will no longer have sweeping powers. A parliamentary republic entrusts power to a government of ministers from the party with a parliamentary majority, with the presidency a largely symbolic post.
Moussa said "The coming president of Egypt, whoever he is, must, in my opinion, stay for one term only … to lead the process of reform and put the country on the road to stability."
He emphasized the need to for the new president to form an association to draw up a new Constitution for Egypt.
