Egypt: Abouel Foutouh Announces Candidacy For President

Prominent Muslim Brotherhood leader Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh has announced that he will run for president, defying the group’s previous decision not to field a candidate.  Abouel Fotouh has said that he will run as an independent in the December election.  Disagreements between Abouel Fotouh and other Brotherhood leaders led to his exclusion from the Guidance Bureau, however he still commands a strong following from the younger Brotherhood members.  Abouel Fotouh’s announcement is expected to further tax the divisions between the young and old within the Brotherhood.  According to members of Abouel Fotouh’s campaign, the Brotherhood is interrogating and dismissing any who violate its decisions, however so far all accusations have been denied.  Abouel Fotouh is basing his campaign on marketing himself as the missing link between Islamists, on the one hand, and secular and Coptic voters on the other, however some are skeptical of his ability to garner votes from outside the elite.  His campaign has reportedly collected 20,000 of the required 30,000 signatures to register his nomination.