Ayman Nour, a likely candidate for the Egyptian presidency and founder of the Ghad Party, has said he is in agreement with the ruling military council’s recent statement regarding mass protests and political transition in the country. However, Nour added that he believes the council’s statement came six months too late.

Nour is a former member of parliament and spent four years in prison following his presidential campaign against Hosni Mubarak in 2005.

Last night, Nour told TV presenter Lamis El-Hadidi on her CBC talk show that while he believes that the Armed Forces played a significant role in the revolution, he also thinks that the military council initially lacked a clear vision for reform.

Moreover, Nour ripped into Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s performance as the head of the interim Cabinet. “I think that Sharaf has acted more as a guest of honour rather than an effective head of government,” he told El-Hadidi. “We need a Prime Minister who is capable of making revolutionary decisions in light of this historical moment,” he added.

Nour said that his party will not participate in any Cabinet in this transitional period and it will suspend any member who accepts such a ministerial position. “We will not work as ‘janitors’ in this cabinet,” he remarked sarcastically.

Sharaf’s decision to resurrect the post of minister of information was another target for Nour’s criticism. The prime minister had more or less abolished the portfolio back when he took office last March.