Nūr, Ayman

Ayman Abd El Aziz Nour (Egyptian Arabic: أيمن عبد العزيز نور, IPA: [ˈʔæjmæn ʕæbdelʕæˈziːz ˈnuːɾ]; born 5 December 1964) is an Egyptian politician, a former member of the Egyptian Parliament, founder and chairman of the El Ghad party. Nour was the first person to compete against President Hosni Mubarak in the 2005 presidential election. Shortly after announcing his candidacy, he was stripped of his parliamentary immunity and arrested on 29 January 2005, a move that was widely criticized by governments around the world as a step backwards for Egyptian democracy. Under international pressure, Nour was released to participate in the election, which was widely considered to be corrupt and rigged. His presidential bid was ultimately unsuccessful. He was arrested again shortly afterward and released nearly five years later.