Egypt’s first post-Mubarak presidential election set for May

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REPORTING FROM CAIRO -- Egypt’s first presidential election since last year’s ouster of Hosni Mubarak’s regime will be held May 23-24, the head of the election commission said Wednesday.

Many Egyptians hope an election will end months of protests and military crackdowns that have deepened the nation’s political turmoil as it moves toward a transfer of power from the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces to a civilian government.

During Wednesday’s televised news conference, Farouk Sultan, head of the election commission, said candidates must submit applications between March 10 and April 8. The presidential campaigning period will begin April 30 and end two days before election day. If necessary, a run-off will be held in June.

Candidates must collect at least 30,000 signatures of citizens from 15 Egyptian governorates. The commission also set a maximum of 10 million Egyptian pounds as campaigning expenses for each candidate. Sultan stressed that no international observers will be allowed to monitor the poll.

A presidential election should be the last stage of the transitional plan proposed by SCAF, which initially promised that it would be in power no longer than six months. The prolonged period without setting a timetable for elections infuriated activists, who remained defiant against the army’s rule, which many of them regard as no different than Mubarak’s harsh police state. Scores of protesters were killed during mass demonstrations in recent months.

Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the chief of the council, has vowed to oversee a fair presidential vote that will serve as a model of democracy.

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--Amro Hassan