Aboul Fotouh: Attack will not deter him

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CAIRO, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Egyptian presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh said Thursday's attack in which he suffered a concussion would not deter him from running.

Aboul Fotouh's campaign released a statement saying he and his driver were recovering after being assaulted in the attack on Aboul Fotouh's car on a highway on the outskirts of Cairo, al-Ahram Online reported.

The statement did not accuse anyone in the attack but said it would not deter Aboul Fotouh in his hopes to "continue serving his country for the rest of his life."

Aboul Fotouh and his driver were assaulted by three men with rifles and the car was stolen, campaign manager Ali El-Bahnasawy said.

Critics blamed Egypt's military rulers for the attack, calling it a scare tactic or a robbery that shows security failures.

Mohamed ElBaradei, who pulled out of the presidential race last month, said on Twitter Friday: "A military council and a government unable to secure a prominent presidential candidate, let alone an entire country. Makes them [current rulers] the problem not the solution."

The April 6 Youth Movement said the remnants of Hosni Mubarak's regime were responsible for the attack and were "fighting their last battle" against the revolution.

The Egyptian Social Democratic Party said Saturday the military rulers and security officials were responsible for the attack on Aboul Fotouh and a separate attack on Hassan El-Prince, a Freedom and Justice Party member of Parliament.

The driver of the car that crashed into El-Prince's car Friday night was acquitted after the member of Parliament dropped all charges. The driver said he was unaware of El-Prince's identity and denied he was hired to assassinate him. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party said in a statement the incident was a failed assassination attempt.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Shafiq, a former prime minister running for president, said he would appoint more than one vice president and would include a female vice president, BikyaMasr.com reported.

And al-Masry al-Youm reported the head of the People's Assembly Legislation Affairs Committee recommended Friday who should be elected to the assembly that will write the country's new constitution.

In a bill, Judge Mahmoud al-Khodairy, a representative from Alexandria, said 20 percent of members should be members of Parliament and 20 percent jurists from outside Parliament. Other members should be experts from unions and associations, women or Coptic figures, he said.