Outspoken Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour registered yesterday to challenge President Hosni Mubarak in Septemberâs landmark presidential election â and swiftly became embroiled in a row with his rival. Nour said he was the first to throw his hat into the ring for the first multicandidate poll in Egypt in the hope his name would top the ballot papers. âI showed up first at the commission and was the first to register because I want my name to appear first on the ballot papers,â he said. âThatâs how it works according to Egyptâs electoral law.âNour, the highest profile of opposition candidates in Egypt who is currently on trial on what he says are trumped up fraud charges, dismissed claims from Mubarakâs camp that the president registered first. âSuch a lie does not bode well for the future of the campaign,â said Nour, who has been highly critical of Mubarak for failing to embrace democratic reform. Nour was among 12 candidates who submitted their candidacies on the first day of registration for the Sept. 7 vote. The 40-year-old leader of the liberal Al-Ghad (Tomorrow) party said it was âimportant to provide guarantees against fraud during the electoral process which should be impartial and independent from beginning to end.â The official MENA news agency said Nour registered as soon as the Electoral Commission opened its doors while a source at Mubarakâs campaign headquarters said a delegate, Mohammed Al-Dakruri, was the first to register the president.
The 77-year-old president announced in a televised speech from his native village in Egypt on Thursday that he would seek a fifth six-year term after 24 years at the helm.