Former Egyptian presidential hopeful Ahmed Tantawi released from prison after serving one-year sentence

Vocal critic of President El Sisi was convicted of electoral fraud

Former presidential candidate Ahmed Tantawi in Cairo in October 2023. EPA

Former Egyptian presidential hopeful Ahmed Tantawi has been released from prison after serving a one-year sentence for offences related to the 2023 presidential election, his lawyer said.

“Tantawi is now at his home” in the Nile Delta city of Kafr El Sheikh, said the lawyer, Khaled Ali.

Mr Tantawi, a former member of parliament and vocal critic of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, had sought to challenge the incumbent in the 2023 presidential vote. However, he and 22 of his campaign staff were convicted of “circulating unauthorised election materials”.

Rights lawyers said at the time that the charge was part of tactics employed by the authorities to prevent serious challengers from running against Mr El Sisi, who went on to win with a landslide 89.6 per cent of the vote.

Mr Tantawi, 45, had accused authorities of stymying his effort to gather the 25,000 official endorsements required under the law to enter the race. In response, he allowed supporters to fill out “popular endorsement forms” – copies of the official forms – an improvisation that prosecutors later branded electoral fraud.

In the end, Mr Tantawi could not collect the required 25,000 endorsements, managing only 14,000, and he subsequently withdrew his candidature.

The 2023 election gave Mr El Sisi a third, six-year term in office. Under the constitution, the Egyptian leader, who is 70, is now serving his final term.

Mr Tantawi's release from prison on Wednesday night may not be the end of his legal troubles. Last month, he was questioned in connection with two other cases.

Prosecutors accused him of “inciting a terrorist act” and “inciting a public gathering” for allegedly calling for demonstrations against the war in Gaza in October 2023. He has denied the accusations.