The Nasserist presidential contender Hamdeen Sabbahi (Photo: Reuters)
Egypt’s Emsek Felul (‘Catch the Mubarak Regime Holdovers’) Movement announced in a Tuesday statement that it would endorse Nasserist candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi in presidential elections slated for 23/24 May.
The group noted that the decision was based on Sabbahi's “patriotic history and honourable reputation as one of the righteous sons of Egypt’s 25 January Revolution.”
"Sabbahi had no dealings with the former regime and he respects the blood of the martyrs and calls for the punishment of the murders. He is not an extremist and calls for non-discrimination among Egyptians,” said movement coordinator Sherif Diab.
The group says it was founded to “protect the gains of the revolution” and to "fight regime holdovers and support a president who implements revolutionary objectives.”
Egypt’s Khud Balak ('Take Care') Movement, along with volunteers from the "Our Voice Is with Hamdeen Sabbahi" youth campaign, meanwhile, also say they will not stop fighting members of the ousted regime, who they accuse of corrupting Egyptian political life.
Sabbahi's popularity has risen noticeably since his appearance on Monday on a number of television talk shows, during which he discussed his electoral programme.
Emsek Felul was launched last year to advocate against the return of Mubarak-era holdovers into Egyptian political life via parliamentary polls. The movement's website, online since last October, provides a list of former regime figures and allows users to identify Mubarak loyalists’ geographical locations.
The site is managed by a handful of revolutionary political forces, including the Revolutionary Youth Coalition, the Popular Council for the Revolution, Youth for Justice and Freedom and the April 6 Youth Movement.
A veteran Nasserist opposition figure and former MP, Sabbahi is an outspoken critic of the United States and Israel. He officially announced his presidential bid in March of last year.
Egypt’s first post-Mubarak presidential poll is slated for 23/24 May, with a runoff vote to be held on 16/17 June in the event that no single candidate wins an outright majority. Egypt’s next president will be formally named on 21 June.
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