Nour Party, the political arm of Salafi Dawah, has officially declared support for former defense minister Abdel Fattah al-Sis’s bid for presidential elections scheduled for 26 and 27 May.
The declaration by Nour Party, Egypt’s largest Salafi-oriented political organization, further emphasizes the shift in the party’s political position since the army ousted the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsy from presidency last year.
The party has been under fire from the Brotherhood and its Islamist allies for its declared support for the political roadmap and the new constitution adopted by the transitional authorities following Morsy’s ouster.
The party’s supreme board had held a meeting earlier on Saturday, chaired by its president, Younis Makhyoun, to choose between presidential runner Sisi and his rival: 2012 runner and liberal politician Hamdeen Sabbahi.
A vote was conducted during the meeting and the result was a large majority favoring the retired army chief, Makhyoun said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
