The leftist Tagammu party has announced that it will support Hosni Mubarak's ex-prime minister Ahmed Shafiq in the presidential elections runoffs if he agrees to certain demands.

In a statement released Sunday, the party said it would back Shafiq if he signed the so-called 'pledge document,' a document drawn up by leftist and liberal groups calling for a civil state without gender, religious or class discrimination.

The party said backing Shafiq was the only way to prevent Egypt becoming an Islamic state and warned that a boycott would lead to a victory for the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi.

The statement stressed that the party had always been part of Egypt's struggle, playing a crucial role in 1977 when major protests broke out against former president Anwar El-Sadat and against later against Hosni Mubarak.

The party vowed to fight any attempt by the old regime to revive its control over the country and pointed out that such a process would be easier than fighting a country ruled by the Muslim Brotherhood which "is a threat to the democratic and civil state."

The runoff round of Egypt's presidential election is scheduled to take place on 16/17 June.