* Abol Fotouh expects most votes from the Brotherhood
* Says he has “unanimous approval”
* His critics say he lacks clear vision
By Yasmine Saleh and Dina Zayed
CAIRO, April 24 (Reuters) – A leading Islamist candidate
said on Tuesday he was confident he would win enough votes in
Egypt’s first real presidential election to seal victory in the
first round, and said anybody associated with Hosni Mubarak was
unfit to lead.
In an interview with Reuters, Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh said
he expected to win a majority of votes among members of the
Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group from which he was
expelled over his decision to seek the presidency. The group is
fielding its own candidate for the historic vote.
“We are working and organising on the basis that we will win
from the first round and not in the run-off,” the 60-year old
said, speaking at his suburban Cairo villa. “As elections
approach, our chances of winning are increasing.”
Described as a moderate reformer during his years in the
Brotherhood, Abol Fotouh has emerged as a front-runner in the
May 23-24 vote, finding support among both liberals and
Islamists and presenting himself as a consensus choice. However,
his critics say he presents an unclear ideological vision as he
seeks to be all things to all people.
Egypt’s first presidential election since Mubarak’s
overthrow in February 2011 is widely expected to go to a run-off
between the top two candidates in June.
Slamming one of his main rivals, Amr Moussa – a former Arab
League chief who served as Mubarak’s foreign minister – Abol
Fotouh said the Egyptian people would not vote for the same
system they toppled.
“I hope that no member of the old regime is elected because
we are in a new republic, we have new criteria to manage the
state and those who were raised in the arms of the former regime
and brought up with its thinking are unfit,” he said.
Egypt’s ruling military has approved a law that bans top
Mubarak-era officials from running for the presidency, which
would exclude his last prime minister and potentially allow
Moussa to pick up more votes.
“Let us be logical, all those who participated with the old
regime, helped it, or kept in silence over the crimes the regime
committed against Egypt belong to the former regime,” he said,
referring to Moussa.
Moussa’s transfer to the Arab League in 2001 was widely seen
as a bid by Mubarak to push him out of government because of his
growing domestic popularity. He has been away from government
for Mubarak’s last decade in power.
MOST OF THEIR VOTES
Abol Fotouh still commands broad respect in the Muslim
Brotherhood, a group he helped lead for decades. The group had
initially decided against contesting the presidency and expelled
Abol Fotouh for defying its wishes. But it then changed course,
deciding to enter the race in March.
The Brotherhood’s first choice was disqualified last week
and the group is now banking on its reserve candidate, 59-year
old Mohamed Mursi. But the soft-spoken Mursi is widely seen as a
less charismatic figure than Abol Fotouh.
“God willing, we will take most of the Brotherhood’s votes,”
Abol Fotouh said, smiling. “I am against the hegemony of one
party in all institutions of power, even if it is by democratic
means.” The Brotherhood holds close to half the seats in
parliament.
Abol Fotouh said he was an independent candidate who could
deliver reform to meet the expectations of activists from Tahrir
Square.
But, offering the type of broad self-description that
incensed his critics, he also called himself “the candidate who
represents all political currents in Egypt – whether Islamists,
liberals or leftists and who enjoys a unanimous approval from
those powers”.
One area of debate has been his vision for the economy,
since his advisory board includes at least one Marxist as well
as liberals. But he sees no contradiction.
“The world is now heading towards a compromise between the
old system of capitalism and the old system of socialism,” he
said. “And this is what represents the foundation of Egyptian
thought that is based on Islamic civilization.”
(Additional reporting by Tom Perry; Writing by Dina Zayed;
Editing by Alessandra Rizzo)
