In an interview with Spanish news agency EFE, former Egyptian ‎foreign minister, ex-Arab League head and presidential hopeful ‎Amr Moussa spoke about current developments in Egypt and ‎his own political aspirations.‎

Moussa described Egypt’s ongoing parliamentary polls as ‎‎“proof” that Egypt’s January revolution had succeeded. He ‎attributed the unexpectedly large voter turnout in the first phase ‎of polling on Monday and Tuesday to the fact that “the vast ‎majority of Egyptians will not allow chaos to affect their lives.” ‎The comment came in reference to recent popular disapproval ‎of the practices and policies of Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council ‎of the Armed Forces (SCAF).‎

Moussa added that the apparent gap between the ‎people and military council had been “exaggerated,” asserting ‎that those currently camped out in Cairo’s Tahrir Square ‎represented political currents that do not share a common set of ‎demands.‎

Hundreds of protesters have remained in the square since a 19 ‎November demonstration against police brutality, which led to ‎deadly clashes between security forces and protesters that left ‎at least 40 of the latter dead. As the clashes intensified, the ‎demonstration gradually turned into one against military rule.‎

For the sake of a "balanced" parliament shared between various ‎parties and political orientations, Moussa called on Egyptian voters to take part in the polls.‎

Recent proposals to form ‎an “advisory council” to advise the incoming government were endorsed by Moussa. He ‎said the presence on the council of representatives of all political ‎trends would serve as a “safety net” that would help restore ‎stability, in reference to recent tension between political forces, ‎the SCAF and the SCAF-appointed government.‎

The former Arab League secretary-general also confirmed that he had turned down an offer by ‎SCAF head Field-Marshal Mohamed Tantawi to assume the ‎premiership after the SCAF had accepted the resignation of the ‎Essam Sharaf government following the 19 November protests. ‎The former FM defended the move, saying it was “not the right ‎time” for him to serve as prime minister since he was currently ‎focusing on his bid for the presidency.‎

Moussa went on to state that he expected his presidential rivals ‎to exploit his previous position as foreign minister under ousted ‎president Hosni Mubarak for political gain. He added, however, ‎that this did not worry him, since his presidential campaign ‎enjoyed the support of “many parties and groups.” ‎