CAIRO, April 5 (UPI) -- Freedom and Justice Party presidential candidate Khairat al-Shater submitted his official candidacy papers to Egyptian authorities, his party said.
FJP, the Muslim Brotherhood's political arm in Egypt, reversed course this week and announced it would field a candidate in the presidential elections this year.
Shater's formal candidacy papers were submitted Thursday by FJP Chairman Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood said in a statement published through its official Ikhwanweb news service.
Shater resigned as a senior finance official for the Muslim Brotherhood to run for president. Some members of the Muslim Brotherhood resigned after the nomination, citing their concern about the direction of the political movement.
After 30 years as a leading member, the Muslim Brotherhood stripped membership from Abdel Aboul-Fotouh after he announced in June he would run for president as an independent candidate.
Former Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and former Foreign Minister Ahmed Shafiq are others who have announced their candidacy.
Presidential elections in Egypt are scheduled for May.
