Ayman Nour’s fair election optimism
Ayman Nour, the chairman of Egypt’s non-religious El Ghad party, who challenged ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for the presidency in 2005 and paid the price by being put in prison, has been talking to euronews about his country’s political future. He spoke to our reporter Mohamed Abdel Azim about what must happen now to track down the money that corrupt Egyptian politicians have stolen from the state.
Ayman Nour: I ask my fellow revolutionaries and brothers in the Egyptian armed forces to form a committee, made up of technocrats, judges and investigators. The representatives of the revolution and the armed forces, as the guarantors of everything happening today in Egypt, must supervise this. This must be a technical and not a political committee, to analyse all the information and all the figures, to see to what extent they are the real figures. If evidence is found, the matter must be handed to the chief prosecutor of the republic, who will in turn pass it on to the presiding judge.
euronews: Is it possible we will see Mubarak’s family brought before international or Egyptian tribunals?
Nour: It is possible, if it turns out they committed crimes covered under Egyptian law and deserve to stand trial for these acts. I would be the first to ask that they be given a fair trial.
euronews: Within Egypt, what is your opinion of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political role right now?
Nour: The Muslim Brotherhood has an important and effective presence and influence in the country. But it is not nearly as important as the Mubarak regime wanted to make it appear, they want to use it as a scare tactic to intimidate our brothers the Coptic Christians and generally to scare the West. They exist and we must respect them. From a liberal point of view, and I am a liberal, I believe in the other’s right to exist, the Muslim Brotherhood must be respected. I do not believe that any single political group, whether of the left or the Muslim Brotherhood, could govern Egypt unilaterally.
euronews: What might the army’s role be in the weeks or months to come?
Nour: The army at this stage is the guarantor of the practical implementation of the demands made in Egypt’s revolution, and of the solidification of the main claims on which we agreed. I hope it will succeed in this mission, and will reach out to us in cooperation and dialogue. We refused dialogue with Mubarak and refuse dialogue with Omar Suleiman, since he was named while Mubarak was still in power. We’re now ready to talk with the army, and I repeat here that we are ready for a serious dialogue, as equals, to ensure Egypt’s interests.
euronews: Will you be a candidate in Egypt’s presidential elections?
Nour: I believe I will. The El Ghad party made a decision about that on 14 February 2010, for the next presidential poll. In the current context and according to the constitution, as far as at least the minimum requirements can be guaranteed, I think we will take part in the elections, and that we’ll make a strong showing. The results of the last elections were all falsified.
