(AFP File Photo)
Ahmed Shafiq, Head of the National Movement Party and former presidential runner-up, has submitted his resignation to the party’s higher committee.
Shafiq cited his inability to perform duties from outside Egypt as the reason behind his resignation.
Deputy Head of the party, Yahia Qadry, told Daily News Egypt Sunday that the party’s higher committee will convene Monday to discuss Shafiq’s resignation.
Qadry also said the meeting will see discussions to convince Shafiq to take back his resignation, adding that the party will issue an official statement following the Monday meeting.
Shafiq, who was former prime minister and civil aviation minister under Mubarak, left to the United Arab Emirates in June 2012. His departure came days following the announcement of the final results in the presidential race which saw the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi become president. Shafiq has remained in the UAE since, amidst reports he was “persona non grata” by the Muslim Brotherhood and the regimes that followed.
In his statement, the retired air force general said his resignation decision came due to the “hard conditions” under which he has been conducting his job. The party’s statement explained the conditions are living outside Egypt.
In March 2014, prior to the presidential elections in which Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi assumed the presidency, alleged leaked phone calls by Shafiq indicated that he refused to participate in the 2014 elections, as he believed state authorities would be biased in favour of Al-Sisi.
Recent media reports in the past month suggested that the authorities warned Shafiq over his attempts to “remain in the political scene in Egypt”.
Daily newspaper Al-Shorouk reported Saturday that a high-profile official travelled to Abu Dhabi to “convince UAE officials to stop what Cairo believes are unacceptable moves by the ex-presidential candidate Shafiq”.
On Thursday, a promo for a talk show on Al-Assema satellite channel saw Shafiq stating in an interview recorded in the UAE that “nobody can prevent me from working in politics or running for the parliament”. The interview was supposed to be aired on Monday, but was axed.
