Following Egypt's first free presidential election this week, candidate Ahmed Shafiq promised voters that he'd champion democratic principles for all levels of society in the country, according the Washington Post. The former Egyptian prime minister is set to compete in an election runoff against the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, Mohammed Morsi.
Many locals identify Shafiq with the authoritarianism of former President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted last year. Shafiq is determined to distance himself from the fallen leader's legacy, but it might not be enough as the third and fourth runners-up in the election, leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, charge that a large number of policemen and soldiers — unable by law to vote — received voter registration cards, which would have given Shafiq an advantage.
The Washington Post reports:
The allegations of fraud underscored how contentious the runoff period is likely to be as Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi and Shafiq face off. Both are expected to court the vote of supporters of last year’s revolution, many of whom were disappointed by the results of the first round.
The Brotherhood moved Saturday to woo the other top vote-getters in hopes of broadening its constituency for the runoff. But none of the contenders who lost agreed to endorse him or attend a meeting that the Brotherhood convened. Morsi, whose group was slow to embrace the revolt, billed his candidacy as the best shot to keep the revolutionary spirit alive.
“We are certain that the runoff will go in the revolution’s favor,” he said at a news conference Saturday night. Shafiq held a news conference earlier in the day in which he sought to dispel the notion that he would govern with the same ruthlessness as his former boss, ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
Read more at the Washington Post.