Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nur registered to challenge President Hosni Mubarak in September's presidential election. Nur said he was the first to register. "I showed up first at the commission and was the first to register because I want my name to appear first on the ballot papers," he told AFP.
Nur, who is currently on trial on what he says are trumped up fraud charges, dismissed claims from Mubarak's camp that the president registered first. "Such a lie does not bode well for the future of the campaign," said Nur.
Nur was among 12 candidates who submitted their candidacies on the first day of registration for the September 7 vote.
The official MENA news agency said Nur registered as soon as the electoral commission opened its doors while a source at Mubarak's campaign headquarters said a delegate, Mohammed al-Dakruri, was the first to register the president.
Most of those who registered their candidacies at the commission on Friday are independents, MENA reported, including Sabri Khalil, Khaled Nur, Hamed Siddiq, Abdelmonem Nun and Abdelmajid al-Anani. The other candidates belong to marginal parties.
The official campaign kicks off on August 17 and ends on September 4, three days before polling day.
