Egypt elections: Morsi, Shafiq reach out to rivals
The apparent front-runners in Egypt's presidential elections, Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, reached out on Saturday (May 26th) to other candidates, AFP reported.
Final votes are still being counted, but early tallies provided by the official Middle East News Agency showed Morsi in first place and Shafiq in second.
On Friday night, the Brotherhood said it is seeking to create a coalition of forces to challenge Shafiq, reaching out to Morsi's former rivals, including Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who left the group to run for president.
Shafiq also said he will seek support from former rivals, calling on each of his competitors by name to join him in a press conference Saturday.
"I pledge that we would work together for the good of Egypt," AFP reported him as saying.
The electoral commission is expected to declare the official results on Tuesday.
9 Comments COMMENT POLICY
محمد
2012-5-27 01:05:00PM
I think Shafiq has to relinquish in favor for Hamdeen.
سهيل
2012-5-27 08:05:37AM
Each candidate must disclose the name of his vice-president, the team of his advisers and the people he will appoint in high positions in ca... se of victory as president (they must be experienced, trustworthy and cautious people. In fact, they toppled Mubarak since they operated as cordons which prevented anyone to reach him, except through them). There must be a second-rate type of advisers because you will certainly find some of them inefficient and irresponsible. The true judgment will take place on the ground and not during the election campaign because the ideas alone are not enough to judge an individual. We should provide an alternative.See more...
حميد
2012-5-27 08:05:02AM
The major question here is the common factor that made the ordinary people support Hazem Abu Ismail, Omar Suleiman, and Al Shater. Is it the... ir long career in politics? Absolutely not! Is it their long history of involvement in international bodies and multinational companies? Absolutely not! Is it their ambitious plan and vision for future development of Egypt and their strategy to lead it out of the economic plight? Absolutely not! In fact, they have neither vision nor plan. Their discourses show their total ignorance. The common factor was hatred. They managed to make people show their worst façade, hatred. They made people hate moderation and opponents. They extracted from them the worst in the human psyche. They gathered them around such despicable things. Thank God, we got rid of them.See more...
نصير الفلاحي
2012-5-27 08:05:22AM
The authorities must take legal action against the excluded because they have submitted wrong information deliberately, although they had ac... knowledged the validity of their personal information!!!!! The vast majority of the candidates, especially the excluded, are still living in the past! Some of them visit the agencies. This was prevalent in the past. In fact, everything was false. Therefore they did not feel that such acts were wrong!!! Some of them evaded military service. They cooperated with the former officials in order to serve their interests!!! The worst thing lies in the people affiliated to groups previously banned!!!! They are used to repression, injustice and the jihad against the unjust (from their point of view). Even after they have been granted their rights to the fullest and become normal citizens, they got the highest positions in the country (they have become deputies).See more...
عبد الجبار علي محمد
2012-5-27 08:05:21AM
The supposed qualities to be enjoyed by the next President of the Republic of Egypt in the modern era: (1) He must be a statesman .. This... means that he should enjoy an encyclopedic culture that enables him to take a general overview. In fact, he should issue a decision after having a wide vision and knowledge of the history, geography, languages and the world around him taking into account priorities. He must also notice the past and the future. This ingredient is usually completed by studying history, the rise and the collapse of countries and civilizations. (2) He should have a character and international vision and acceptance.. This condition, which is rarely achieved in most of the candidates, has gained importance in this era. The president should also have the ability and vision in choosing his assistants according to the principle of experience rather than confidence. (3) He must be reluctant to succumb to the temptation of power. The greatest temptation of power is money (we have seen how the looting of money has been the most important disadvantage of the Mubarak rule and one of the main reasons for its collapse). Weakness in front of the opposite sex is also a second temptation. In addition, the president must not be deceived by immunity because the latter is one of these temptations which may be linked to family, religious, social education, as it can be a gift from God. (4) He must be well-educated and enjoy a straight and well-established personality. This condition is required for those who cannot be presidents but it is necessary for anyone who wants to become president. (5) He must not belong to any trend. In fact, it is difficult to nominate a communist, a secular or liberal nor a Salafist for presidency. He should not be an atom or nature teacher. (He should enjoy a comprehensive culture. All this means that he should neither be artistic nor ideological). Thus, whoever examines history will find that Mohamed Ali was the statesman who has advanced Egypt out of nowhere. These are not all the qualities which should be available in whoever runs for presidency but there are more. Therefore, those who lack these qualities should not run for presidency because we will not elect them.See more...
ناظم محمد
2012-5-27 08:05:52AM
The president must be sterile. He should not have a son, otherwise we have to suspend pregnancy in order to avoid inheritance. The president... must not carry money but personal monthly vouchers so that no one will be able to use them. We should also freeze his assets during his period of office. Besides, we should prevent any president's relative from occupying any important position which has nothing to do with the intelligence or the security Department which will serve the Head of the Parliament. In addition, we have to publish a monthly list of the Palace’s expenditures in an official newspaper. In so doing, presidency competitors will diminish and only the talented person will take over power.See more...
ياسين عمر
2012-5-27 07:05:42AM
Honestly, I would like to tell everyone that Egypt has remained in a deplorable situation after we have been the most important Arab country... which everyone is afraid of. We have become a laughing stock for everyone. I have personally supported the revolution. I was ready to sacrifice my life for it, but now everything is over. I do no longer know what I want exactly. In fact, we have been pulled 20 years backward. We have also lost a lot of things which we have been enjoying in the past mainly safety. May Allah improve the conditions, say Amen.See more...
خالد
2012-5-27 07:05:02AM
In order to achieve tolerance and peaceful coexistence, which will restore the national cohesion and communication between people and facili... tate carrying out the national tasks about which we are all responsible, we all have to join hands in order to reach these goals. Each one of us must do this from his position. The clergy, scholars, and preachers have to shed light on the dangers of extremism and abolition of the other, which is adopted by the terrorist organizations. They have to invite all members of the society to refer to the elements and principles of Islam, which calls for recognizing all the views and listening to them in order to adopt the best of them as long as they achieve the joint national interests of the country and the people. Likewise, the civil society organizations, the press, and the mass media should organize popular seminars and conferences that promote moderation and condemnation of violence that is based on extremist ideas. These activities must clarify the threat of extremism to the evolution of societies and their stability because extremism often leads to rivalry and the armed conflicts, which undermine the security, stability, and leave dire consequences.See more...
مهند باسل
2012-5-27 07:05:59AM
As good citizens, we are required to be moderate and to adopt correct options when dealing with the others. in this period of time, we are i... n urgent need of the language of tolerance and the dialogue, which is built upon the respect for all opinions and opening a bright page in the history of the people as well as restoration of the bond so brotherhood and love among the social groups after the intellectual invasion of the terrorist organizations.See more...