Egyptian ex-PM, Shafiq withdraws from election
Ahmed Shafiq
Shafiq launched his candidacy in November contained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the place he fled after shedding the 2012 election to Mohammed Morsi.
Inside days he was detained by the UAE, which helps his rival, the incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Shafiq was broadly seen as most probably basically essentially the most essential challenger to Sisi.
He was deported by the UAE following his arrest and his household reported being unable to contact him after his arrival in Egypt.
Hours later, he gave an interview on Egyptian tv by which he denied hypothesis he’d been kidnapped and mentioned he was reconsidering his choice to run in opposition to Sisi.
His household raised considerations of foul play, and alleged he was being held in opposition to his will at a Cairo resort.
Yesterday, Shafiq confirmed in a publish on Twitter that he wouldn't run, saying he felt he was not the simplest explicit particular person to steer the nation.
“My absence of bigger than 5 years probably distanced me from having the ability to very rigorously observe what's going on on in our nation by way of developments and achievements regardless of the disadvantage of the situations,” he wrote.
“I've seen that I can not be the simplest explicit particular person to steer the state’s affairs in the course of the approaching interval. Thus I've determined to not run contained in the upcoming 2018 presidential elections.”
A former air power commander and aviation minister, Shafiq stood for president in 2012 however misplaced narrowly to Morsi, who subsequently issued an arrest warrant for him on corruption prices.
Shafiq fled to the UAE. Morsi was later ousted by the navy and adjusted in 2014 by Sisi , whereas Mr Shafiq was acquitted of the corruption prices.
Individually, one totally different potential presidential candidate, Colonel Ahmed Konsowa, was arrested in December after saying plans to run.
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