Egypt disqualifies 11th presidential candidate

Egypt's election commission on Tuesday disqualified an ex-premier from running for president because of a law that bans senior officials from the deposed Hosni Mubarak regime from running for office.     

The disqualification is the latest twist in an already turbulent process aimed at replacing Mubarak, who stepped down after a popular uprising in February 2011. The commission earlier nixed 10 other candidates on technical grounds, including three of the front-runners, with elections due to start in a month.     

The unruly process of picking a new president is just the latest sign of turmoil in post-Mubarak Egypt. The 14 months since his resignation have been marked by harsh criticism of the ruling military council that took over after Mubarak stepped down, frequent clashes between protesters and security forces, a crime wave and relentless economic woes.     

The latest candidate to fall was Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's prime minister during the 18-day uprising. His disqualification quickly followed approval by Egypt's military rulers of a law passed by the Islamist-dominated parliament, banning senior Mubarak-era officials who served in the past 10 years from running for office.     

The law was aimed at Shafiq and another candidate, Omar Suleiman, who was Mubarak's longtime spy chief and was named vice president at the end of his reign. Suleiman entered the race late, provoking outrage from those who led the uprising.     

Suleiman was disqualified on other grounds before the law was ratified.    

The two main Islamist candidates  from the dominant Muslim Brotherhood and the ultraconservative Salafi wing  were also among the first 10 to be ruled out, throwing the race into turmoil. The first round of voting is set for May 23-24.     

A final list of candidates is set to be issued on Thursday.    

AP