Egypt's election committee confirmed on Thursday, April 26 that Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister would run in a presidential election, reversing its decision to eject him over a law drawn up by Islamists that prevents senior officials from Mubarak era from standing, Reuters reported.

"After listening to Shafiq's appeal, the committee decided to halt the decision to exclude him from the presidential race," Farouk Soltan, the head of the election committee, told a news conference to announce the final list of candidates, listing Ahmed Shafiq among the 13 contenders.

Shafiq is seen as a strong contender to win Egypt's presidential elections set for May 23-24, with a run-off scheduled in June. His main rivals include two Islamists, Mohamed Mursi and Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, and the former head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa.