Mubarak's Prime Minister Barred From Presidential Field

Former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq speaks to reporters in Cairo in March after registering his planned candidacy for the presidential election.

The body overseeing Egypt's presidential election has disqualified former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq as a candidate.

The decision came after the ruling military council endorsed a law banning the candidacy of any senior official under ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

Shafiq had been named prime minister during the final days of Mubarak's three-decade rule as the latter faced an 18-day popular uprising in early 2011.

Earlier, Mubarak-era intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who briefly served as vice president, also was disqualified on the technical ground that he failed to secure the required number of endorsements from all the country's provinces.

A candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood has been barred from running because of his military court conviction.

Another Islamist -- a follower of the Salafi movement -- has been ruled out because his mother had U.S. citizenship.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters