Tampa Bay Times: Egypt Presidential Hopeful Says Bureaucrats Blocking His Bid
(Tampa Bay Times) CAIRO (AP) — A rights lawyer who hopes to run in Egypt's presidential election in March said Wednesday that bureaucrats loyal to the government were obstructing efforts to get him on the ballot, while his campaign officials said police and government supporters were intimidating potential voters.
The complaints, aired at a news conference held at Khaled Ali's campaign headquarters in downtown Cairo, suggested that he was struggling to secure the 25,000 signatures, or "recommendations," necessary to challenge President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who is widely expected to run for and win a second four-year term.
Alternatively, a presidential hopeful could secure the formal backing of 20 elected lawmakers. But the overwhelming majority of the chamber's 596 members already have pledged their support to el-Sissi, who has yet to formally announce his candidacy.