Fotouh campaigners resign, rumours say

Over 160 people claiming to be members of Egyptian politician Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh's presidential campaign have allegedly announced their resignations. However, the Aboul Fotouh Facebook page said: “The work in the campaign is voluntary and based on decentralisation.” It added: “The names of those who declared their resignation are unknown.” The supposedly resigned workers issued a statement Sunday evening in which they said: “We want a leader that sits in the [Tahrir] Square, guiding, advising, praying with us and facing difficulties with us, not one who leaves demonstrators alone and sits in his luxurious office or in his home in front of the TV screen.” The statement described Aboul Fotouh as someone who "aspires for power at the expense of his homeland". It mentioned that the reasons for the resignations were “his exploitation of the incidents of Mohamed Mahmoud St for the electoral campaign, although he did not participate, and his abandonment of those wounded in the Tahrir Square clashes.” The statement said: “Aboul Fotouh fled to Saudi Arabia, and his campaign claimed that state TV had cancelled an interview with him, but this did not happen. He also falsely claimed his objection to the ruling junta, and tried to distort the image of Mohamed ElBaradei.” They said that their aim was not to fight Aboul Fotouh or distort his image, but to tell the truth to everyone.  On the other hand, Aboul Fotouh's electoral campaign explained that the candidate's positions were known to everyone and mentioned in official statements, and were the main reason many public figures joined his campaign.