Election chaos as Egypt bans candidates

Islamist radicals threatened to take millions of people on to the streets of Egypt last night (Sunday) after a ruling banning most of the leading candidates plunged presidential elections into chaos.

Gamal Saber, the campaign manager for Hazem Abu Ismail, a radical Salafi Islamist who had become a surprise front-runner, told The Daily Telegraph: "We will go out to the streets, millions of people, against anyone who tampers with our destiny, or the fate of Egypt. If Allah overthrew Mubarak, by a peaceful revolution, Allah can overthrow the military junta in a peaceful manner."

Abu Ismail, in a television interview, told Egypt's interim military rulers: "You are playing with fire."

Abu Ismail, seen as a "clean pair of hands" after years of corruption, promotes a radical anti-Western agenda. He says that under his leadership Egypt's Christian minority will be respected, but that interest-bearing bank accounts, public sale of alcohol, and bikinis will be banned.

He was second in opinion polls only to Amr Moussa, the former foreign minister and leading secular candidate. Moussa was the only candidate seen as a possible victor to escape Saturday's rulings by the election commission. Ten of the 23 candidates were rejected. They were given 48 hours to lodge appeals.