By Heba Fahmy
CAIRO: Ayman Nour, head of Ghad El-Thawra Party, said Sunday that a delegation of 20 members will approach the ruling military council to call for annulling all politically-motivated verdicts, including one against Nour himself.
“They will present a [request] with 150 signatures from MPs calling for the annulment of all political, arbitrary verdicts against [all Egyptians], not just me,” Nour said during a press conference on Sunday.
Last year, the Court of Cassation dismissed an appeal for a retrial in the case of the Ghad Party proxies, which Nour was accused of forging in 2005.
The court supported a previous verdict, issued by the Criminal Court sentencing him to five years in prison, shortly following the 2005 presidential election, in a case widely perceived as politically-motivated.
Nour claimed that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) was involved in the verdict, which he described as political “assassination.”
While on Sunday he said there’s still a chance he may run for president, he also said that even if the verdict against him is annulled, he might choose not to participate in this round.
“I have the right to run in the presidential election and I’m entitled to that right — whether I decide to run in this election or not,” he said.
Registration for candidates in Egypt’s first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster began March 10 and will go until April 8. The election is slated for May 23-24.
The candidate supported by Ghad El-Thawra Party will be announced on March 21, whether it is Nour or another candidate from outside the party.
Three presidential candidates have requested the party’s support. However, Nour refused to announce their names, saying there are still deliberations and meetings before a final candidate is announced.
The party’s executive bureau set specific criteria for the presidential candidate they decide to support. The candidate cannot be affiliated with the former regime and its dissolved National Democratic Party (NDP), or have a military background. The candidate must also support the revolution’s goals and demands as well as advocate the establishment of a civilian state that respects the freedom of minorities.
“None of the presidential candidates have presented a clear, tangible political program yet, so it’s difficult to decide who would fit these criteria,” he said.
Nour said that the highly anticipated election lacks “minimal guarantees” regarding its integrity and transparency, due to Article 28 of the constitutional decree issued by the ruling military council.
The article guarantees immunity to the supervising committee’s decisions against court appeals.
He said calls for boycotting the election are not popular among the majority of party members and the people, and so his party will participate and fight for their rights despite the obstacles.
