And on that cold afternoon, the middle age man ran in the heart of Downtown Cairo with all the power and speed he got in order to the building on time, he does not have much time.
The office is going to close in 60 minutes and he must be on time to present his boss’s documents per orders by his higher boss according to the plan. The man arrives the place to find cameras waiting for his boss who will come later, there is no time to media shows now as they will come later. He enters the gate which is heavily guarded with special forces from the army and heads quickly to the office where he should present the documents.
Already they are waiting for him anxiously as well because they do not have much time either. The man who is also legal representative of his boss represents the documents to the respectable members of the National Elections Authority “NEA” and rests on a chair to get a breath.
At last, his boss is an official presidential hopeful in the Egyptian presidential elections. Winning is not important because actually, his boss knows very well that he does not hold a chance, let alone in real elections he won’t be qualified to run.
He and his boss, the last minute Presidential candidate are doing what they were told to do. His boss will save the regime’s face in front of the world and completes the show, the biggest show in town those upcoming 4 months: The Egyptian Presidential Elections 2018.
I am sorry for this long introduction but these words came to my mind when I saw the iconic photo of the legal representative of initial presidential candidate Moussa Mostafa Moussa running on the 29th January 2018 in Downtown Cairo to reach the NEA in order to present the leader of Al-Ghad party ’s presidential candidacy’s documents.
He was born in April 1952. He speaks Arabic and French fluently as well English. He is a married businessman and got 3 children whom we do not know their names or age or anything.
We do not know where he lives. It does not matter because we did not know where Abdel Fattah El-Sisi lived either when he ran for the office in 2014. His campaign HQ’s address has been his residence’s address in 2014 Presidential elections or the current presidential elections.
We do not know the name of his company or companies.
It did not matter as it seems because he was truly last presidential candidate.
An engineer and businessman, he heads the Council for Egyptian and Arab tribes, which seems to be a subsidiary of Al-Ghad Party.
This can give you a little background about our man.
Moussa Mostafa Moussa made the news in September 2005 when former Presidential candidate Ayman Nour fired him and other three members including former MP Rageb Hamida who made an amazing comeback in this election from Al-Ghad Party.
In the same month, Moussa declared himself as the leader of the Party splitting the once-promising party into two fronts: A front that is led by Ayman Nour and another front that is led by him.
The fight escalated between the two fronts over the Party’s Headquarter in the famous Talaat Harb square in Cairo in November 2008.
It reached the point of no return when Moussa and Hamida allegedly stormed the party H.Q with thugs who torched it using Molotov cocktails and inflammable materials. Photos showed that Moussa was walking in a parade in the street along with two suspected thugs.
The prosecution accused the two groups of hurling Molotov cocktails.
Surprisingly and amazingly, I found out that trial of torching Al-Ghad Party is still going on and its next session in front of Giza criminal court “should not it be in front of Cairo criminal court !!!?” will be next 10 March.
In May 2011, the Parties Affairs Committee recognized Moussa as the head of the Party.
From his side, Ayman Nour called his party’s Front Ghad Al-Thawra.
Unlike the noise and controversy that accompanies Nour who left Egypt in July 2013 and declared his full support to ousted President Morsi, Moussa and Al-Ghad Party went to oblivion since 2008 seriously speaking.
Then he came back unexpectedly only last week when it was declared that he would be the man standing against El-Sisi in the Presidential elections.
Ten days before declaring that he would run for the office, Moussa Moussa and his party as well that Arab tribe council declared their total support to El-Sisi just like in 2013.
The man had a photo of El-Sisi as his Facebook profile’s cover when Egypt was speaking about what happened to Ahmed Shafik as well what was happening to Sami Anan.
He had to change it on the same day he declared his presidency as activists pointed out to this irony and deactivated his account later.
That was not the only thing Moussa had to change or hide.
There are lots of debate about his university degree. That short bio that was distributed to all mainstream outlets did not include from which university he was graduated and when he was graduated.
It was only mentioned that he studied civil engineering.
A rumor spread like fire saying that he got a diploma degree in engineering and people like Ayman Nour and his friend famous lawyer Tarek Al-Awdy confirmed it.
Al-Awdy already appealed in front of the State Council against his candidacy.
What enforced the rumor is the fact that Moussa Mostafa Moussa got no membership in the syndicate of engineers in Egypt. He needs to have a membership in syndicate if he works in civil engineering in the country.
To defend him, Al-Ghad Party’s legal advisor claimed that he was got a bachelor of engineering from the University of Sorbonne in France.
There is one problem that the renowned University got no faculty of engineering, it became another joke in that farce.
The former head of Egypt’s Public treasury Abdel Magid El-Molhamy who claims to know Moussa Moussa since school said in a Facebook post that went viral then disappeared that the potential Presidential candidate studied in France’s Ecole Nationale Superieure d’ architecture de Versailles “ENSA-V” for two academic years or cycles and dropped out.
El-Molhamy hinted out that the documents Moussa published in Weekly Sawt Al-Oma actually proved that.
Thanks to Masrawy’s informative report about Moussa Moussa and his family, we know that according to his short bio as a board member in the United Holding Co. for building materials that he holds a Bachelor of Science in architecture from France’s Ecole des Beaux-Arts.
Ecole des Beaux-Arts is different university than ENSA-V !!!
Why is that important? Well according to the Presidential Elections law as well the Egyptian Constitution, the Egyptian Presidential candidate must have a University degree or its equivalent.
In real elections race, he would be disqualified over this if it turned out that he did not have university degree even if he were as rich and successful as college dropout Bill Gates.
The bio published on the UHC official website we know what “he created” besides UHC which is owned by his family and OCI.
It also states that his family “Moussas” founded jointly with the Algerian government famous Scib Paints Company in Zurich that operated from 1978 to 1980.
In 1981, Scib Paints moved to Egypt to become one of the big local paints companies in the country. In 2002 , Scib entered a partnership with an Indian Paints company. Moussa Moussa is officially a board member in Scib.
Interestingly, Egyptian Journalists found out the name of Moussa Moussa was mentioned in the famous Panama Papers.
I took the lead and found out that he and his siblings were all mentioned in the Panama papers with companies offshore in tax havens including his two sisters.
The Moussas were shareholders in African Chemical International LTD along others which was registered in British Virgin Islands from 2003 to 2012.
Our presidential candidate’s address in that company was Al-Ghad Party HQ’s address which is quite interesting.
Back to Masrawy’s investigate report, we knew that Moussa Moussa lives in a family house in upscale Zamalek, Cairo governorate. His wife is a housewife and he got Mostafa who is an AUC graduate and Mohra who is still a student.
Moussa is the son of Al-Wafd party late leading figure Mostafa Moussa.
Unlike son, Mostafa Moussa had a truly interesting political history.
Mostafa Moussa was from the Al-Wafd Party’s left-leaning youth that stood against old as well influential and rich party leading figures like Fouad Serg El-Din during the 1940s.
The young engineer who was graduated from Cairo University made history when he won in the 1950 Parliamentary elections and became the youngest MP to represent Working Class Bab Al-Sharia Constituency in Cairo.
In the 1950s, Mostafa Moussa was among the Egyptian politicians who openly supported the Algerian revolution against French occupation.
Following the independence, Moussa moved to Algeria where he worked for decades there. He was a close friend of both late president Ahmed Ben Bella and president Houari Boumediene.
Before his death, he came back and participated in reviving the Wafd Party as the New Wafd Party with Fouad Serg El-Din.
El-Ghad Party lost its popularity and noise as opposition group for real since 2008 when Ayman Nour left it.
It did not score any seats in the Parliamentary elections 2014.
Originally, the regime wanted the leader of the New Wafd Party El-Siyad El-Badawy to run against El-Sisi and it was so close to make that to happen if it was not for two reasons I believe.
Legally, El-Said El-Badawy would be easily disqualified as he stood and is still standing trials for many dishonored cheques to the level that you can’t count them.
Then come the Youth of New Al-Wafd party “You read it right” as well other old party members.
During the General assembly of the famous party, its youth protested against the decision to let El-Badawy run in the presidential elections calling it a farce.
All the members of New Wafd Party’s general assembly except three only voted against the decision as well including a former NDPian.
They saw that it would have a very negative impact on the famous liberal party that is currently struggling.
Following the refusal of the New Wafd party to have a candidate in the elections and found ourselves in front two peculiar names: Ahmed El-Fadaly and Moussa Moussa.
The regime had to choose Moussa Moussa because El-Fadaly got too many skeletons in his closet as simple as that including his role in the battle of the camel in Tahrir square in 2011 as well his university degree.
Interestingly, the Party with the highest number of seats “65 seats” in the current Parliament; liberal Free Egyptians Party “FEP” ’s name was not included in that search for a rival candidate.
All that I think about that the ugly sectarianism of the Egyptian regime is behind that.
The former liberal party which was founded by Naguib Sawiris and was taken over by bunch of former intelligence and security officers who joined later is headed by Essam Khalil, who is a Christian
There is nothing in the Constitution against having Christians running for the Presidential office theoretically speaking.
So far Moussa Moussa is trying desperately to convince the world and the Egyptians that he is not a supporting actor giving all sort illogical reasons behind his sudden candidacy.
He attacks El-Sisi in a very shy way saying that the Mega-national projects done in the past four years were waste of the Egyptians’ money only, which is actually true but that’s it.
He has had a single TV interview on DMC last week and it was very sad weak one that you may wonder why a businessman like him would be involved in such farce.
Anyhow, Moussa Moussa managed to write down his name in history as the Last-Minute Candidate in a poll that is being called elections.
That will be his greatest political achievement in life so far if there is no miraculous divine miracle making the next President of Egypt.
 |
| Lawyer Samir Abdel Azim Runnig to the NAE HQ in Downtown Cairo "Samer Abdullah" |
Already they are waiting for him anxiously as well because they do not have much time either. The man who is also legal representative of his boss represents the documents to the respectable members of the National Elections Authority “NEA” and rests on a chair to get a breath.
 |
| Samir Abdel Azim speaking on the Mobile Phone after submitting the candidacy documents at NEA in Cairo "Reuters" |
He and his boss, the last minute Presidential candidate are doing what they were told to do. His boss will save the regime’s face in front of the world and completes the show, the biggest show in town those upcoming 4 months: The Egyptian Presidential Elections 2018.
 |
| Moussa Mostafa Moussa leaving the NEA "Reuters" |
The last-minute presidential candidate
Only very few lines were shared about the background of the man who could be the president of Egypt next April or May by 0.01% chance in the mainstream media.He was born in April 1952. He speaks Arabic and French fluently as well English. He is a married businessman and got 3 children whom we do not know their names or age or anything.
We do not know where he lives. It does not matter because we did not know where Abdel Fattah El-Sisi lived either when he ran for the office in 2014. His campaign HQ’s address has been his residence’s address in 2014 Presidential elections or the current presidential elections.
We do not know the name of his company or companies.
It did not matter as it seems because he was truly last presidential candidate.
An engineer and businessman, he heads the Council for Egyptian and Arab tribes, which seems to be a subsidiary of Al-Ghad Party.
This can give you a little background about our man.
Moussa Mostafa Moussa made the news in September 2005 when former Presidential candidate Ayman Nour fired him and other three members including former MP Rageb Hamida who made an amazing comeback in this election from Al-Ghad Party.
In the same month, Moussa declared himself as the leader of the Party splitting the once-promising party into two fronts: A front that is led by Ayman Nour and another front that is led by him.
The fight escalated between the two fronts over the Party’s Headquarter in the famous Talaat Harb square in Cairo in November 2008.
It reached the point of no return when Moussa and Hamida allegedly stormed the party H.Q with thugs who torched it using Molotov cocktails and inflammable materials. Photos showed that Moussa was walking in a parade in the street along with two suspected thugs.
 |
| Moussa Moussa and Ragab Hamida on his left in 2008 "Omar El-Hady" see the arrow |
 |
| The same thug torching the building's gate "Omar El-Hady" |
Surprisingly and amazingly, I found out that trial of torching Al-Ghad Party is still going on and its next session in front of Giza criminal court “should not it be in front of Cairo criminal court !!!?” will be next 10 March.
In May 2011, the Parties Affairs Committee recognized Moussa as the head of the Party.
From his side, Ayman Nour called his party’s Front Ghad Al-Thawra.
Unlike the noise and controversy that accompanies Nour who left Egypt in July 2013 and declared his full support to ousted President Morsi, Moussa and Al-Ghad Party went to oblivion since 2008 seriously speaking.
Then he came back unexpectedly only last week when it was declared that he would be the man standing against El-Sisi in the Presidential elections.
Ten days before declaring that he would run for the office, Moussa Moussa and his party as well that Arab tribe council declared their total support to El-Sisi just like in 2013.
 |
| The original cover of Moussa's personal account before deactivating it |
The man had a photo of El-Sisi as his Facebook profile’s cover when Egypt was speaking about what happened to Ahmed Shafik as well what was happening to Sami Anan.
He had to change it on the same day he declared his presidency as activists pointed out to this irony and deactivated his account later.
That was not the only thing Moussa had to change or hide.
There are lots of debate about his university degree. That short bio that was distributed to all mainstream outlets did not include from which university he was graduated and when he was graduated.
It was only mentioned that he studied civil engineering.
A rumor spread like fire saying that he got a diploma degree in engineering and people like Ayman Nour and his friend famous lawyer Tarek Al-Awdy confirmed it.
Al-Awdy already appealed in front of the State Council against his candidacy.
What enforced the rumor is the fact that Moussa Mostafa Moussa got no membership in the syndicate of engineers in Egypt. He needs to have a membership in syndicate if he works in civil engineering in the country.
To defend him, Al-Ghad Party’s legal advisor claimed that he was got a bachelor of engineering from the University of Sorbonne in France.
There is one problem that the renowned University got no faculty of engineering, it became another joke in that farce.
The former head of Egypt’s Public treasury Abdel Magid El-Molhamy who claims to know Moussa Moussa since school said in a Facebook post that went viral then disappeared that the potential Presidential candidate studied in France’s Ecole Nationale Superieure d’ architecture de Versailles “ENSA-V” for two academic years or cycles and dropped out.
El-Molhamy hinted out that the documents Moussa published in Weekly Sawt Al-Oma actually proved that.
Thanks to Masrawy’s informative report about Moussa Moussa and his family, we know that according to his short bio as a board member in the United Holding Co. for building materials that he holds a Bachelor of Science in architecture from France’s Ecole des Beaux-Arts.
Ecole des Beaux-Arts is different university than ENSA-V !!!
Why is that important? Well according to the Presidential Elections law as well the Egyptian Constitution, the Egyptian Presidential candidate must have a University degree or its equivalent.
In real elections race, he would be disqualified over this if it turned out that he did not have university degree even if he were as rich and successful as college dropout Bill Gates.
The bio published on the UHC official website we know what “he created” besides UHC which is owned by his family and OCI.
It also states that his family “Moussas” founded jointly with the Algerian government famous Scib Paints Company in Zurich that operated from 1978 to 1980.
In 1981, Scib Paints moved to Egypt to become one of the big local paints companies in the country. In 2002 , Scib entered a partnership with an Indian Paints company. Moussa Moussa is officially a board member in Scib.
Interestingly, Egyptian Journalists found out the name of Moussa Moussa was mentioned in the famous Panama Papers.
I took the lead and found out that he and his siblings were all mentioned in the Panama papers with companies offshore in tax havens including his two sisters.
The Moussas were shareholders in African Chemical International LTD along others which was registered in British Virgin Islands from 2003 to 2012.
Our presidential candidate’s address in that company was Al-Ghad Party HQ’s address which is quite interesting.
Back to Masrawy’s investigate report, we knew that Moussa Moussa lives in a family house in upscale Zamalek, Cairo governorate. His wife is a housewife and he got Mostafa who is an AUC graduate and Mohra who is still a student.
Moussa is the son of Al-Wafd party late leading figure Mostafa Moussa.
Unlike son, Mostafa Moussa had a truly interesting political history.
Mostafa Moussa was from the Al-Wafd Party’s left-leaning youth that stood against old as well influential and rich party leading figures like Fouad Serg El-Din during the 1940s.
The young engineer who was graduated from Cairo University made history when he won in the 1950 Parliamentary elections and became the youngest MP to represent Working Class Bab Al-Sharia Constituency in Cairo.
In the 1950s, Mostafa Moussa was among the Egyptian politicians who openly supported the Algerian revolution against French occupation.
Following the independence, Moussa moved to Algeria where he worked for decades there. He was a close friend of both late president Ahmed Ben Bella and president Houari Boumediene.
Before his death, he came back and participated in reviving the Wafd Party as the New Wafd Party with Fouad Serg El-Din.
Why El-Ghad Party leader?
Many political analysts are asking why Moussa Moussa was chosen from all those small as well big parties.El-Ghad Party lost its popularity and noise as opposition group for real since 2008 when Ayman Nour left it.
It did not score any seats in the Parliamentary elections 2014.
Originally, the regime wanted the leader of the New Wafd Party El-Siyad El-Badawy to run against El-Sisi and it was so close to make that to happen if it was not for two reasons I believe.
Legally, El-Said El-Badawy would be easily disqualified as he stood and is still standing trials for many dishonored cheques to the level that you can’t count them.
Then come the Youth of New Al-Wafd party “You read it right” as well other old party members.
During the General assembly of the famous party, its youth protested against the decision to let El-Badawy run in the presidential elections calling it a farce.
All the members of New Wafd Party’s general assembly except three only voted against the decision as well including a former NDPian.
They saw that it would have a very negative impact on the famous liberal party that is currently struggling.
Following the refusal of the New Wafd party to have a candidate in the elections and found ourselves in front two peculiar names: Ahmed El-Fadaly and Moussa Moussa.
The regime had to choose Moussa Moussa because El-Fadaly got too many skeletons in his closet as simple as that including his role in the battle of the camel in Tahrir square in 2011 as well his university degree.
Interestingly, the Party with the highest number of seats “65 seats” in the current Parliament; liberal Free Egyptians Party “FEP” ’s name was not included in that search for a rival candidate.
All that I think about that the ugly sectarianism of the Egyptian regime is behind that.
The former liberal party which was founded by Naguib Sawiris and was taken over by bunch of former intelligence and security officers who joined later is headed by Essam Khalil, who is a Christian
There is nothing in the Constitution against having Christians running for the Presidential office theoretically speaking.
So far Moussa Moussa is trying desperately to convince the world and the Egyptians that he is not a supporting actor giving all sort illogical reasons behind his sudden candidacy.
He attacks El-Sisi in a very shy way saying that the Mega-national projects done in the past four years were waste of the Egyptians’ money only, which is actually true but that’s it.
He has had a single TV interview on DMC last week and it was very sad weak one that you may wonder why a businessman like him would be involved in such farce.
Anyhow, Moussa Moussa managed to write down his name in history as the Last-Minute Candidate in a poll that is being called elections.
That will be his greatest political achievement in life so far if there is no miraculous divine miracle making the next President of Egypt.
An excellent post, reads like a novel. Revealing !! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis presidential election sounds all rather complex. What happened to the good old days under Mubarak when the choice was "muwafiq" aw "ghayr muwafiq"?
ReplyDelete