Egypt sentences ex-presidential candidate Ahmed Tantawi to a year in prison for 'unauthorised endorsements'

A misdemeanour court in Cairo sentenced on Tuesday, 7 February, former presidential hopeful Ahmed Tantawy to one year in prison over the charges of "printing and disseminating unauthorised endorsement forms" for his candidacy in a trial slammed by his lawyer for allegedly being "unfair."

The court has further banned Tantawi, an ex-MP, from running for parliamentary elections for five years, according to lawyer Nabeh El-Ganadi.

"The only correct fact about the trial of Tantawi and his campaigners was [a list of] the defendant's name [ignoring] our demands ever since the very first session was held," Ganadi posted on his Facebook page, adding that the defence "team was denied the right to acquire a copy of the case file."

Tantawi's electoral campaign manager, Mohamed Abu El-Diyar, has also been handed a similar sentence over the same charges.

Both men have been ordered to pay a bail of 20,000 Egyptian pounds (almost US$645) each for the sentence to be suspended and appealed later before a higher court.

Tantawi, along with another presidential hopeful, Gamila Ismail, withdrew from the race last year after failing to garner the legally required endorsements.

The Egyptian constitution stipulates that presidential candidates must secure endorsements from 20 MPs or 25,000 registered voters in at least 15 provinces, with a minimum of 1,000 endorsements from each province, which Tantawi failed to garner.

Initially expected to be held in 2024, last year's election came amid severe socio-economic instability and a continued crackdown on human rights and freedom of expression.

Around 45 per cent of registered voters in the country had cast their ballots in a vote swept by incumbent President Abel Fattah Al-Sisi.