(AFP PHOTO / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI)
“Egypt now certainly isn’t the same Egypt I received,” said interim President Adly Mansour on Sunday evening, adding that he believed that the country had progressed significantly during the transition that began with the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.
Mansour, who was appointed as interim president in July, lauded the country’s passage of the amended constitution “by a large margin”, and indicated that “within a few days” the Presidential Elections Commission would announce the roadmap for the upcoming poll. He said that time between the announcement of the roadmap for presidential elections and poll would take at least 60 days.
Mansour also stressed that he would not run in the upcoming elections, adding that he saw himself as the “manager of the country’s affairs” during the transitional period.
The interim president added, during an interview on privately-owned CBC satellite channel, that he believed the presidential race would be competitive and said he believed more candidates would announce they planned to compete for the presidency.
He added that Minister of Defence Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi had not announced his candidacy and such a decision would be a reflection of the army chief’s personal choice. Mansour also said that regulations and laws would prevent state resources from being used to support Al-Sisi in his possible bid.
The president also discussed the newly-passed presidential elections law, including a contentious aspect of it that bans appealing the results of presidential polls. The senior judge said that allowing appeals would potentially allow the elections process to go for more than six months if results were allowed to be appealed.
Mansour also discussed security concerns and most recently the attack on a checkpoint that left six military police conscripts dead in Mostorod, saying that he, the government, and all state institutions were operating under “normal laws without extraordinary measures” to deal with current circumstances, adding that such extraordinary measures could still be taken if he felt that they needed to be employed.
The interim leader said that the security apparatus had only demonstrated some shortcomings, saying that some of the attacks carried out “could have been avoided” and that those responsible for neglecting to stop those attacks had been held accountable.
He also discussed the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been subject to an extensive security crackdown, saying that its members “are Egyptians and have rights as long as they have not committed a crime,” adding that they are expected to respect the law and “renounce violence”.
