MANSOURA, Egypt — Mortada Mansour, the man accused of directing the notorious Battle of the Camel during the Tahrir Square protests in February, came to a courtroom in this provincial city to defend the right of former regime stalwarts to run in the coming parliamentary elections.

“If I had participated in the Battle of the Camel, people would be throwing rocks at me, not hailing me the way they are,” said Mr. Mansour, perhaps Egypt’s most flamboyant lawyer, wheeling his black Cadillac Escalade through narrow streets with one hand while waving the other at well-wishers.

He denies having set loose camels with riders who beat protesters in Tahrir Square, but believes strongly that supporters of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s former president, should compete for a role in the country’s future. “If you want a democracy, just let the people be, and they will choose who they want,” he said.

Two weeks before Egypt’s first parliamentary vote since a popular uprising toppled Mr. Mubarak on Feb. 11, much of the electorate seems obsessed with the idea that former Mubarak loyalists will somehow steal the government back via the ballot box.