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Egypt sets May 23-24 for presidential election

Xinhua, March 1, 2012

Egypt will hold its first presidential election after the fall of ex-President Hosni Mubarak on May 23-24 this year, the Higher Presidential Election Commission (HPEC) announced Wednesday.

Egyptian judge Faruq Sultan, head of the elections committee, holds a press conference in Cairo on February 29, 2012. Egypt will vote on May 23 and 24 to elect its first president since a popular uprising overthrew Hosni Mubarak a year ago, Sultan said. [Xinhua/AFP]

The newly-elected president will be announced on June 21, said Farouk Sultan, chairman of the HPEC.

The nominations will start on March 10 and end on April 8, and the list of presidential candidates will be announced on April 26, Sultan said, adding that election campaigns are scheduled to start on April 30 and last for three weeks.

Overseas Egyptians will vote in the first round on May 11-17 and the run-off on June 3-9, while the presidential election run- off, if necessary, will be held on June 16 and 17.

Any political party with at least one elected seat in the parliament can field one of its members for the post, the HPEC regulates.

Eligible Egyptian citizens who get the support of no less than 30 parliament members or 30,000 citizens can submit applications of presidential candidates to the commission. Those 30,000 signatures must include people from at least 15 of Egypt's all 27 governorates.

Potential presidential candidates include former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, former Muslim Brotherhood top official Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik.

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) said it would not nominate a candidate but would support one. The MB's Freedom and Justice Party won the most seats and the posts of speakers in both lower and upper houses of parliament.

The current ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces has pledged to hand over power to the elected president before June 30.