Egypt was never a theocratic state

Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh Cairo – Akram Ali      Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, Egyptian presidential candidate, stated that the time has come for the army to return to its barracks, and to hand over power to a civilian government, adding that the military administration of the transitional phase since February 2011 was not successful. He calls for a swift power-transfer to civilians in order to ensure Egypt’s safety following the January 25 revolution.   The independent candidate Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, who split from the Muslim Brotherhood, said that democracy will not be achieved until Egypt is stabilized; noting that setting the country’s constitution and holding the presidential elections will pave the way for the democracy sought by all. “We are still in the first year of democracy and we seek to walk on this path the right way,” said Abol Fotouh in an interview with ‘Arabstoday’, calling on everyone to hold on to the goals which the Egyptian youth sacrificed their lives for, which are justice, freedom and democracy. He then cited Egyptian dentist Ahmed Harara, who lost his eyesight in clashes during protests and sit-ins, saying “a revolutionary does not claim a price for protecting his country.” Regarding the appropriate age for running for presidency, Abol Fotouh believes “the candidate should not be less than 40 years of age. And the Minister of Defense should not necessarily be from the military,” adding “if I become President, I will appoint a civilian Defense Minister, and a Defense Minister Deputy from the youth, in order to break free from the notion that positions are linked to old age, and to stay clear from putting forward names that exceeded 70.” Concerning his opinion on Ahmed el Tayeb’s initiative, Imam of al-Azhar, and his meeting with political powers, he said “the meeting issued a document with the spirit of the revolution and a completion [plan] of its principles, which will be the focus of next January 25.” Former MB member refuses the idea of celebrating the revolution as he believes that the revolution goals are not all achieved yet, and criticized the calls for a second revolution on next January 25, wondering “how can we go for a second revolution when the first one is not yet completed?” About the recent judicial campaigns against the civil society organizations, Abol Fotouh said “I do not see anything wrong with official investigations with political activists, as long as they go by the official criteria of investigations; however, if they aim to spread panic and fear, they would be considered reprocessing of Mubarak’s era and exercising the emergency law which lasted for the past 30 years.” Regarding the rise of Islamists in the political scene and the introduction of Salafists into the parliament for the first time, Abol Fotouh said “Egypt was never a theocratic state, citizenship and individual freedoms have to be maintained. [There should be] no restriction the over the individual freedom of belief and expression, out of respect to the principles of citizenship.” Abol Fotouh added that he is glad with the Salafist participation in general work, as it would benefit Egypt. He explained that their participation would help in making them more moderate and realistic, whereas, if prevented from political action, they would be more extreme. Abol Fotouh also underlined the importance of consensus on the new constitution, by developing a constituent assembly, approved of by all parties, to put the constitution. He added that consenting on the assembly allows for time to hold a national dialogue on the constitution. He indicated that the notion of coming up with a constitution in one month is not scientific or practical, as the constituent assembly would take 6 months to be formed, and the constitution would require another 6 months for its formation, stressing that the coming constitution is to survive for the next generation, and not to be cancelled and replaced after one year. He further stressed that the parliamentary and presidential elections are important to put an end to the transitional phase. As for granting SCAF a safe exit from power, Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh said “we will not allow the bloodshed of Egyptians to go in vain… when a killer is prosecuted, it prevents more killing, and there are differences between criminal and political responsibilities.” He stressed that the next president would be held accountable for his actions by the parliament, the people and regulatory institutions, saying “we don’t want another Mubarak.” At the end of the interview, Abol Fotouh stated that he does not seek sheer official positions, however, is “keen to serve the country,” adding that when he decided to run for presidency, his only aim was to achieve national stability and work on overcoming the current crucial stage.