Egypt presidential candidate's eligibility case adjourned to Feb. 17

The Supreme administrative court in Egypt adjourned the case of presidential candidate Moussa Mostafa Moussa in which he faces the risk of being disqualified from the forthcoming elections for not meeting the education eligibility standards.

The al-Ghad party chairperson’s candidacy was challenged by lawyer Tarek al-Awady on February 2, who argues that Moussa has not obtained a certified university or higher education degree, which is a key requirement for candidates running in the presidential election.

However, the representative of the National Electoral Authority (NEA) at Monday’s court session, Abdel Rahim Ali, said NEA verified Moussa’s educational paper’s validity to run for presidency.

“All the conditions and requirements were met by Moussa. We examined his documents more than once and do not have any doubts about it,” Ali said in a statement to media outlets on Monday.

He added that Moussa’s final academic qualification is equivalent to a Bachelor degree, which means that he meets the demanded requirements.

Opposition activist arrested

The adviser of a former Egyptian presidential candidate excluded by the authorities was arrested on Tuesday after discussing the existence of secret documents compromising the “state and its leaders”, his lawyer said.

Hicham Geneina was the human rights adviser to General Sami Anan, a former chief of staff of the Egyptian army was arrested at his home, following an interview he gave to the Arab Huffpost saying Anan ‘ has a reserve of secrets’ contained in documents relating to political events and crises that Egyptian society has experienced since the January 25, 2011 revolution.

Anan was himself detained by the country’s military and prevented from submitting a presidential bid after being accused by the authorities of “not respecting procedures” and sowing “division”.

Geneina reportedly told the website, which is blocked in Egypt, that these documents are stashed away in a ‘safe place abroad’ and would be unveiled if Anan was exposed to danger.

The Egyptian authorities responded to the interview by issuing a statement that all legal procedures would be taken to ‘protect national security and preserve the honour and dignity of the armed forces’.