Al-Youm al-Saba´a newspaper quotes sources in Egypt´s election committee as saying former VP´s appeal rejected. Committee´s secretary-general denies report

Former Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman will not be able to run for presidency and has been officially disqualified from the race, the al-Youm al-Saba´a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Quoting legal sources in Egypt´s Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission, the paper said that it has been confirmed that Suleiman has failed to produce the necessary number of signatures (30,000) required from a presidential candidate. It has also been reported that the committee had disqualified the Salafi candidate, Hazem Abu Ismail, whose mother is said to hold American citizenship

Responding to the announcement, the secretary-general of Egypt´s Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission denied the reports, saying that the commission has yet to convene and that a final decision on the matter will be announced later on Tuesday.

The committee has yet to rule on the appeals of other disqualified candidates including the Muslim Brotherhood´s Khairat Al-Shater.

Last week, the al-Masry al-Youm newspaper published a poll indicating that 20% of Egyptians said they would vote for Suleiman. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 04/17/12)