Egypt Salafis back former Brotherhood member

CAIRO

Egypt’s Islamic fundamentalist party Al-Nour has decided to support a moderate ex-Muslim Brotherhood member in next month’s presidential election, the party announced on April 28.

 Al-Nour’s parliamentary group “has decided to back Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh for the presidency of the republic,” an Al-Nour statement said. Abolfotoh is a former senior leader of the Brotherhood which expelled him from the movement last year. The decision by Al-Nour, which has around 20 percent of the seats in parliament, could cause problems for official Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi, who risks losing a large section of the Islamist vote to Abolfotoh.

Meanwhile, reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei launched a new political party, the Constitution Party, that he said aims to unite Egyptians and save the country’s revolution from a messy democratic transition.

Anti-military rule protester killed

Separately, assailants attacked demonstrators gathered outside the Defense Ministry in Egypt’s capital to call for an end to military rule with rocks and firebombs, killing one protester and wounding 30, security officials said yesterday. They said the clashes broke out late on April 28 when the unidentified assailants set upon the protesters, also hurling fireworks and empty glass bottles.

The officials said the dead protester was a supporter of ultraconservative politician Hazem Salah Abu Ismail. Many of those outside the ministry were Abu Ismail supporters angered by his disqualification from running in next month’s presidential election.

Compiled from AFP and AP stories by the Daily News staff.