Egyptian Ex-Jihadists Back Former Muslim Brotherhood Official for President

CAIRO (The Blaze/AP) -- A former jihadist group said Monday it will back a Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, a moderate Islamist candidate and former Muslim Brotherhood member, in Egypt's presidential elections next month.

The announcement from Gamaa Islamiya provides a boost to Abolfotoh's chances in the May 23-24 vote. He received a similar endorsement from an influential ultraconservative Salafi group last week. SeattlePI.com has more about Abolfotoh's background:

Formerly the top reformist within the Muslim Brotherhood, which led to clashes with its conservative leadership. The 60-year-old Abolfotoh was ousted from the group last year when he announced his presidential bid, defying the Brotherhood's decision at the time not to field a candidate — a promise it later broke anyway by fielding el-Shater.

Abolfotoh has stood out from the Brotherhood by promoting a more inclusive and open vision. As a result, he is popular among pro-reform Brotherhood youth. In his campaign, he seeks to appeal to moderate Muslims and Egyptians wary of both Mubarak-era officials and hard-line Islamists. A religious conservative, he emphasizes democratic reform over an Islamist agenda.

Senior Gamaa official Assem Abdel-Maged said an internal poll showed that a majority in the group supported Abolfotoh.

"We felt that it is too much for the Muslim Brotherhood to have it all: parliament with its two chambers, the presidency and the Cabinet." he said. "This is harmful to the whole Islamist movement."

The Gamaa's support would likely improve Abolfotoh's showing in the group's strongholds in provinces south of Cairo. It also leaves the Brotherhood, Egypt's largest political group, more isolated as it moves closer to a confrontation with the country's ruling generals.

The Brotherhood won just under half the seats in parliament in recent elections. The more hardline movement of Salafis, who advocate a strict implementation of Islamic Shariah law, won nearly a quarter of parliament seats.

Saad Emara, a lawmaker and a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, expressed worries over splitting the Islamist vote but said that "political calculations" of the Salafis might have prompted them to support a rival "to limit the powers of the Muslim Brotherhood."

The Gamaa was involved in the 1981 assassination Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. The group fought the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak in a bloody insurgency in the 1980s and 1990s, seeking to establish an Islamic state in Egypt before renouncing armed struggle and moving into mainstream politics.