Egypt approves presidential runners, voters perplexed

Egypt's election commission has announced 13 candidates are eligible to run in the forthcoming presidential election. The list includes ultraconservative Islamists, as well as ex-president Hosni Mubarak`s former ministers.

The fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood has nominated its strong Islamist candidate. The Islamic clerics from the Jurisprudence Commission for Rights and Reform have agreed on the candidacy of ultraconservative Mohammed Morsi. The man would battle for votes in May with a more moderate Islamist Abdel-Moneim Abol-Fotoh, a former Muslim Brotherhood member.

The presence of two strong Islamist candidates can end up splitting the Muslim voters. This gives a chance to secular candidates, like the former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who warns against a dominant Islamist influence.