Cairo: More than 100 Egyptians, eyeing the country's top job, on Saturday collected applications to contest presidential polls in May, the head of an election commission said.
Farouk Sultan added that none of the potential contenders had submitted all the required registration documents on Saturday, the first day of applying for the elections, which will be Egypt's first since long-standing president Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down last year.
"The vast majority of those who showed up today [Saturday] are unknown. They thought that the mere showing at the registration centre and filling in an application are enough to be eligible to vie in the election," he added. U
Under constitutional reforms approved last year, independents wishing to run for president have to be supported by at least 30 lawmakers or they have to collect 30,000 endorsements from 15 of Egypt's 27 governorates.
"The potential candidates are now busy collecting the necessary endorsements," Sultan told a press conference in Cairo.
Presidential aspirants have until April 8 to submit their applications. The presidential vote is scheduled for May 23 and 24, with the winner set to be announced on June 21.
