Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University, has told Al-Masry Al-Youm he is thinking about running for president. He said that several close friends and public figures have urged him to nominate himself, but he is still mulling the issue.
Nafaa is in London for work and will announce his final decision when he returns to Egypt on Sunday, he said.
Nafaa had earlier resigned from the Advisory Council over the security situation in the country and the military's refusal to reveal the so-called "hidden hands" that are, according to the ruling military council, behind violent incidents that have taken place during the transitional period.
Several leading public figures already have expressed an interest in running for president.
Ex-Arab League chief Amr Moussa, a foreign minister under Mubarak and a popular figure, has already begun campaigning, as has Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force pilot who served as prime minister from 29 January 2011 until March of that year. Shafiq has claimed that he has Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi's support and is speculated to be popular with the ruling military council.
Mohamed Selim al-Awa, an Islamic thinker and former head of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, has announced his intention to run.
Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, a former Muslim Brotherhood leader who is popular among the group's youth and some revolutionary forces, also plans to run for president. He was expelled from the Brotherhood because the group had declared that it would not field a candidate for the office and prohibited members from running.
Sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail, also a former Brotherhood member who draws his core support from ultraconservative Salafis, is likely to run as well.
The most notable absence from the presidential race is Nobel laureate and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei. He withdrew from the race last month, saying a fair election would be impossible under the military junta's supervision. He said the election would likely not bring a real end to the generals' rule.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
