CAIRO — The steel tycoon who once steered the ruling party for President Hosni Mubarak has filed papers to run again for Parliament in the latest unwinding of the Arab Spring revolt.
The tycoon, Ahmed Ezz, 56, was long reviled here as the personification of the crony capitalism that prevailed under Mr. Mubarak. After Mr. Mubarak’s ouster in 2011, Mr. Ezz was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for corruption, but he was released on bail after an appeals court ordered a retrial just six months ago, in time for parliamentary candidate registration on Sunday.
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Sunday was the first day for the registration of candidates for the parliamentary elections scheduled for next month. Al Ahram, the flagship state newspaper, quoted Mr. Ezz’s lawyer, Mohamed Hamouda, confirming Mr. Ezz’s intention to run. “There is no legal objection” and “the ballot box is the deciding factor,” Mr. Hamouda said, according to Al Ahram. “This is the democracy we call for.”
Merna Thomas contributed reporting
