Egypt’s Shafik withdraws presidential election bid

A New York Times report says Shafik could have been influenced by the government to withdraw from the race. It is the latest in a series of leaks.

Egypt‘s former prime minister, Ahmed Shafik, has ruled himself out of this year’s presidential election – just six weeks after announcing his candidacy.

Shafik was widely seen as a serious challenger to President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi.

A New York Times report says Shafik could have been influenced by the government to withdraw from the race. It is the latest in a series of leaks.

Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal reports.