Egypt: presidential nominations to start March 10
A scene from Egypt’s Tahrir square, as Egyptians mark the one-year anniversary of Hosni Mubarak being ousted from power on January 25, 2012 in Cairo, Egypt.
Egypt today set a nomination period for presidential candidates, but shied away from setting an official election date, the Associated Press reported.
Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court announced today that registration will be open for four weeks starting March 10 for nominees in what would be Egypt's first presidential election since the ousting of longtime president Hosni Mubarak a year ago.
Court committee head Farouq Sultan declined to give a date for the election itself, saying a decision is expected within days. But he did say that a winner would not likely be announced until June, according to AP.
Also today, the Daily News Egypt reported that Supreme Presidential Election Committee chief Farouk Sultan attributed the delay to difficulties with the voting process for Egypt's large diaspora, arguing that it was important those living abroad "participate in determining the future of their country.”
He also said authorities expected over one million people to vote.
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Debate over Egypt's presidential election date has been highly-charged, with opposition demonstrations accusing the ruling military of delaying the announcement in a bid to cling to power.
A referendum held last year and decreed as law established that in order to run for president, Egyptian candidates must be at least 40 years old, cannot have dual nationality or be married to a foreigner, and must collect 30,000 signatures or secure support from at least 30 lawmakers in order to run, according to AP.