Egypt’s anti-coup National Alliance for the Defence of Legitimacy said on March 30 that it had taken an initial decision to boycott Egypt’s May presidential elections. The alliance, which backs ousted president Mohamed Morsi, said it may reconsider its position when the final list of presidential candidates is announced. “New political developments can emerge,” spokesperson Magdi Qorqor was reported as saying. The election commission set May 26 and 27 as the date for the first round of the presidential elections.
Army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who announced the ouster of Morsi on July 3, and former presidential contender Hamdeen Sabahi had earlier announced their intention to contest the polls. Qorqor said they oppose the presidential elections because they are the result of what he described as an “illegal” political process. “It is built on a wrong foundation, namely the July 3 coup,” he insisted, referring to Morsi’s ouster.