The Egyptian parliament passed a bill Thursday that forbids any senior officials of the former regime from running for presidential candidacy. The legislation still requires the approval of the ruling military council, before it can be made law.

The bill is intended to thwart the candidacy of all those who served as head of the Egyptian intelligence, including Omar Suleiman, who most recently served as Egyptian vice-president.

Open gallery view Egypt's Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri speaks during a working session of the Egyptian parliament in Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 26, 2012. Credit: AP

It is still unclear as to what stance the military court will take on the bill.

Under the new law, all those who served in the 10 years preceding the revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak as prime minister, vice-president or the head of a party will not be allowed to run for president in the next ten years.



In addition to Suleiman, the law would prevent Ahmed Shafiq, who served in the past as prime minister, from competing in presidential elections. However, former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa would be allowed to run for presidency.

Egypt's presidential elections will be held on May 23 and 24 and if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round, a second round of elections will be held in June.

In the meantime, representatives of the Islamist party and the Salafi movement are planning a mass protest in Tahrir Square on Saturday against the reign of the military council and the continued influence of the Mubarak regime. However, the group of young people who led the revolution called for separate protests and demanded Egyptians boycott the Islamist parties' event.

