Former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said he will not run for presidency, if Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi did.
“If Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, defense minister, ran for presidency, I will support him and will not nominate myself,” he said.
In a phone call on Monday with a talk show aired on the privately-owned channel Al-Youm, Shafiq said, “promoting Sisi to field marshal rank is an old tradition in the armed forces that defense minister becomes a field marshal.”
“I was the first winner not the second in the presidential elections run-off. However, interests of Egypt are the most important now,” he said adding, “I did not work with Field Marshal Sisi directly, as I was in civil aviation and he was in the military intelligence,” he added.
A statement by Supreme Council of Armed Forces on Monday said it had to respond to people’s desire in nomination of Sisi to presidency adding that he has to act in a way that conforms to his national conscience and take responsibility of duty.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
