Paper: Egypt's interim head of state won’t run for presidentNovember 19, 2013 - 12:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt's interim head of state Adly Mansour will not run for president in elections slated for next year, a Kuwaiti newspaper on Tuesday, Nov 19, quoted him as saying, according to Reuters. Mansour was sworn in as interim president on July 4, a day after the Egyptian army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi following mass protests against his rule. Mursi had appointed him as head of the constitutional court, but he was not sworn in as head of the court until hours before he took the oath as interim president. When asked by Kuwait's al-Seyassah newspaper whether he would run for president, Mansour said: "No... No, I will return to my office and my work at the constitutional court." Western allies have watched with dismay as the most populous Arab state stumbled on its path to democracy after a popular uprising toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Saying it was responding to the will of the people, the army removed Mursi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, from power and promised a political roadmap that would lead to free and fair elections. Authorities have also embarked on a tough crackdown on Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood movement. Under the roadmap, Mansour will remain head of the interim government until presidential elections are held, due to follow parliamentary polls and the approval of amendments to the suspended constitution in a referendum. In an interview earlier this month, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said parliamentary elections would take place in February or March, with presidential polls slated for early summer. No prominent figures have publicly stated their intentions to run for president, but speculation has been rising that army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the man who deposed Mursi, could contest the vote. Sisi has emerged as Egypt's most popular public figure and analysts say he would become president if he ran for office. He is seen as a decisive leader who can restore stability. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |