Who is Ayman Nour?

Ayman Nour established the al-Ghad Party in 2004 after defecting from the New Wafd in 2001 over a dispute with party leader Noman Gomaa. Recognized as a charismatic young politician, Nour was elected to the People's Assembly as a representative of the Wafd in 1995. After a few months of unobstructed party activities, in January 2005 he was charged with forging thousands of membership applications in order to obtain a legal license for the party and imprisoned. In his absence, an anti-Nour faction of al-Ghad members staked a competing claim to the party's leadership, and went so far as to nominate their own electoral candidates in al-Ghad's name for the 2005 parliamentary elections.

As the regime came under increasing international pressure, Nour was released from prison and allowed to participate in Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election in September 2005. He came in second place with 7.6 percent of the votes.

Ayman Nour was convicted of forgery and sentenced to five years in prison in December 2005 but was suddenly released in February 2009. Some observers speculated that Mubarak's gesture was motivated by a desire to smooth over relations with the new U.S. administration. In February 2010, Nour stated his intention to run for 2011 presidential elections and al-Ghad's pro-Nour faction approved him as its official candidate by democratic vote (the party's anti-Nour wing, led by Moussa Moustafa Moussa, rejects Nour's candidacy and may put forth a candidate of its own). He is not officially eligible to run due to his forgery conviction, although the Supreme Constitutional Court can issue a ruling waiving his ineligibility. On September 15, 2010, Ayman Nour announced that al-Ghad will boycott upcoming parliamentary elections, after the party's leadership council voted overwhelmingly against electoral participation.