Egyptian presidential hopeful Amr Moussa slammed a poll which showed his candidacy as having little support, and defended his term as foreign minister.
In a poll posted on the official Facebook page of Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Moussa has so far won a low number of votes.
In a speech to supporters on Saturday at Alexandria, Moussa voiced indifference to results he dismissed as "inaccurate”.
He said that the SCAF's move brought up many questions.
Regarding his ten-year stint as foreign minister, Moussa said it was an honor to hold the post, even if it was during the reign of ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
“Current Prime Minister Essam Sharaf was himself a minister during Mubarak's rule, yet all Egyptians are proud of him as a nationalist figure," Moussa argued. "What really matters is the ability to play a positive role in serving the country and not a specific regime or person.”
Moussa – currently placed fifth in the online poll that still has a month to go – is being attacked by opponents who cite his affiliation to the Mubarak regime.
Independent daily paper Youm7 unveiled Moussa's assent to exporting Egyptian natural gas to Israel during his term as foreign minister from 1991 to 2001, a revelation that may severely damage his campaign. The document obtained by the newspaper said that Moussa sent a message in November 1993 to Hamdy al-Banby, then Egypt's petroleum minister, which approved the export scheme.
Former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei continues to top the SCAF poll, followed by Islamic thinker Mohamed Selim al-Awa.
Though limited to Facebook users, observers believe the poll, which drew hundreds of thousands of participants, is indicative of the opinions of Egypt’s middle class and educated sectors of presidency nominees.
