Ahmed Shafik
Ahmed Shafik is a candidate for president of Egypt.
A former Air Force general who was the last prime minister appointed by President Hosni Mubarak before his ouster, Mr. Shafik came in second during the initial round of voting in May 2012. In June, he will face the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Morsi.
A late entry into the race, Mr. Shafik was a dark horse campaigning on promises to use a firm hand against the protests and lawlessness that have prevailed since Mr. Mubarak's ouster. He presented himself as a strong check on the rise of the Islamists. Of all the candidates in the race, Mr. Shafik came closest to promising a restoration of the old order and aroused vocal support and threats of a "second revolution" if he should win.
For the runoff, Mr. Shafik has sought to seize the mantle of the "glorious revolution." But his bid for the presidency turns on the fears of an Islamist takeover on one hand and of pervasive lawlessness on the other. These fears are the glue that hold together his secular-conservative coalition of elite businessmen, former military officers, members of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority and cosmopolitans who worry that Islamist electoral victories will mean a more pious and intolerant culture.
But critics say they feel like the revolution never happened. For a decade before Mr. Mubarak's ouster, Mr. Shafik had been acclaimed as a potential inside candidate to succeed him, with the blessing of the elite within Egypt's military-backed autocracy.
A few hours after Mr. Shafik was confirmed as the second candidate in the runoff election, his campaign headquarters burst into flame as protesters marched in the street denouncing the results.
Background
And a legal cloud hangs over his candidacy. In 2011, Mr. Shafik was forced out as prime minister after just five weeks when protesters demanded his ouster. In March 2012, the Brotherhood-dominated Parliament passed a law aimed, unsuccessfully, at barring him from running for president, a challenge he survived through an appeal to the Supreme Court, which had not ruled by the time of the first round of voting.
Mr. Shafik is the only former military man running for president in a country that has never had a civilian leader. His official biography lists his educational background as a master's degree in "military sciences" and a Ph.D. in the "national strategy of Outer Space."
His campaign has not always gone smoothly. Violence flared at rural campaign events and when Mr. Shafik went to vote he was hounded from a polling place by a mob of opponents hurling shoes and debris.
Earlier, in a television appearance, Mr. Shafik had mockingly offered to reward protesters in Tahrir Square with candy if they would just go home.
He appears to have gained support from those who benefitted from the Mubarak years, a time they see as more prosperous and less Islamist."Our supporters are people who do not want to see Egypt turn into Afghanistan or Iran," said Ahmed Sarhan, the campaign spokesman. "People who don't want their lifestyle to change, people who respect religion but do not want to be ruled by the Muslim Brotherhood."
In a recent television appearance, Mr. Shafik vowed that if he was elected, he would shut off the electricity to Tahrir Square before allowing a protest to drive him from power. "How can some 200,000 demonstrators or so topple someone who has been elected by millions?" he said.
His Platform
At campaign events, Mr. Shafik has promised to "restore the greatness of the old Egypt."
n Mr. Shafik's short platform, he calls for the military to play a continuing political role as "the guardian of the constitutional legitimacy." He calls the military's economic activities — which include a far-flung commercial empire with little military application — "a strategic necessity." And he seems to endorse continuing Egypt's much hated, 30-year-old "emergency law" allowing extrajudicial detention. In cases of emergency, his platform suggests, the application of such measures should still be exempt from parliamentary review.
On the economy, Mr. Shafik has said he opposes progressive income taxes and has talked about big development projects. As a former aviation minister in charge of airports and the state airline, he was known for his "iron fist," especially on labor demands.
But he has offered little indication of support for free enterprise or markets. As aviation minister, he said that improving aviation through private carriers at the expense of the state-run airline would be counterproductive.
He, like other Mubarak associates, also faces lingering allegations of corruption.
ARTICLES ABOUT AHMED SHAFIK
Egypt: Brotherhood Candidate Pledges to Lead Nation Away From Autocracy
Mohamed Morsi's remarks came one day after angry protesters burned down the headquarters of his challenger, Ahmed Shafik, who was prime minister under Mr. Mubarak.
May 30, 2012Egypt's Election: David Kirkpatrick Answers Readers' Questions
Cairo Bureau Chief David Kirkpatrick explains the results of the first round of Egypt's presidential election, the goals of the Muslim Brotherhood and what may come next.
May 29, 2012
Offices of Egyptian Candidate, Shafik, Burn
A fire broke out at the presidential campaign headquarters of Ahmed Shafik, Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, after he had been confirmed as one of two candidates for the runoff election.
May 28, 2012Reflections on the Revolution in Egypt
Egyptian voters will have to pick their next president from two extremes: the Muslim Brotherhood or an old Mubarak hand. Has the revolution failed them?
May 28, 2012
Ahmed Shafik Counting on Egyptian Elites' Fears
The expected runoff between Ahmed Shafik, a Mubarak associate, and Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, is a rematch of an old struggle between secular authoritarians and Islamists.
May 27, 2012Some Disdain Both Options in Egypt's Narrowed Race
Enthusiasm has given way to apathy since presidential candidates whose charisma or progressive appeals generated excitement with voters were eliminated.
May 26, 2012
Likely Runoff Choices Represent Two Extremes Facing Egypt
The race to become the Egyptian president is shaping up as a contest between two of Egypt's most powerful, polarizing forces: political Islam and the military.
May 25, 2012Israel Anxiously Watches Egyptian Election
Israeli analysts are bracing for the prospect of a less-friendly Egypt, especially if Mohamed Morsi, the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood, is elected president.
May 25, 2012
Egyptians Vote in Presidential Poll
Voters in Egypt hoped to seize the promise of a popular uprising that defined the Arab spring in an election that could end 15 chaotic months of military rule.
May 24, 2012
Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Morsi Leads in Egypt Vote
The candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Morsi, led the early returns of Egypt's first competitive presidential election as the first ballots were counted on Thursday night and early Friday.
May 24, 2012
In Streets and Online, Campaign Fever in Egypt
Three days before Egypt's presidential elections, a combination of high stakes, suspense and confusion has made for a heady atmosphere.
May 21, 2012Dark-Horse Candidates Add Suspense in Egypt
Polls conducted by Egypt's military-led interim government show growing support for Ahmed Shafik, a former air force general who was the last prime minister appointed by President Hosni Mubarak before his ouster; Hamdeen Sabahi, a socialist and Arab nationalist earns a surprising second-place finish in the early returns of Egyptians voting abroad. Photo
May 20, 2012Egypt Presidential Election Is Suspended by Court
An administrative court determined that the election's May 23 starting date had been wrongly set, but legal experts said the ruling was expected to have little effect.
May 10, 2012
Worried Egyptians Jam Tahrir Square, but Unity Is Elusive
Protesters chanted for the overthrow of the ruling military council, reflecting rising unease over the course of the country's fitful democratic transition.
April 21, 2012
Thousands in Cairo Protest Suleiman's Presidential Bid
Egypt's rival Islamist groups drew supporters to Tahrir Square to protest against the presidential campaign of Omar Suleiman, the longtime spy chief under President Hosni Mubarak.
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