Rights lawyer may be youngest president

Egypt's Human Rights lawyer Khaled Ali became the youngest candidate to enter Egypt's presidential race after he officially launched his campaign on Monday in Cairo. In front of a crowded audience at the Journalists Syndicate, the 40 year-old activist announced his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election. “My entire political platform is built on the basis of social justice,” Ali said. The difference between his and other candidates’ perceptions of social justice is that his programme is a leading policy and guiding principle, “not just decoration,” he said. As the founder and director of the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, and a legal activist for much of the last two decades, Ali made a name for himself as a staunch advocate for social justice, especially in the public sector. He also led the case against government corruption during the ousted President Hosni Mubarak years, where he took government officials to court for illegally selling public land and public sector factories. Most notably, Ali was able to get verdicts on cases that returned some large companies to the public, such as mega-retailer Omar Effendi, the Nile Cotton Weaving Company and many other factories. He was also a driving force behind a 2001 ruling to grant professionals and workers syndicate more freedom, as well as a 2010 decision to increase the national minimum wage. Running as an independent, Ali believes he is supported by his history as an activist, crusader for the poor and a force for change. Malek Adly, Ali's campaign coordinator, said Ali took the step after many people endorsed him and because he sees the election as vital for the fulfilment of the revolution's goals.