The campaign of Islamist presidential hopeful Hazem Abu Ismail denied reports that circulated saying he could gather more than the required 30 signatures to run for president in a statement posted on the campaign’s Facebook page on Tuesday.
“The purpose of circulating these reports is to make signatories reluctant to [support] the hopeful,” said the statement.
Several Egyptian news reports said Monday that Abu Ismail gathered signatures of MPs, most of whom belong to the Salafi-led Nour Party.
The Presidential Elections Law states candidates should get either 30,000 signatures from at least 15 governorates, or the signature of 30 MPs.
Amr Moussa, Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh and Hamdeen Sabbahi have obtained the largest number of signatures across Egypt. Abouel Fotouh has the highest number of signatures, at an estimated 23,500.
