(CNN) -- Moderate Islamist Abdelmonen Abol Fotoh has gathered support from the left and the right since he was ousted from the Muslim Brotherhood over his decision to run for the Egyptian presidency. Now running as a respected independent in Egypt's first democratic presidential election, Abol Fotoh says the pillars of his program are to strengthen democracy, freedom and respect for human rights, and to ensure everyone is treated fairly under Egyptian law. Those ideals are backed by a long history of opposition to the regime of President Hosni Mubarak, said Dr. Omar Ashour, director of Middle East Studies at the University of Exeter and a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution in Doha, Qatar.
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Abdelmonen Abol Fotoh is backed by Egyptians from the right and left
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A moderate Islamist, he has a long history of opposition to the Mubarak regime
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He was suspended from the Muslim Brotherhood when he decided to run for president
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Abol Fotoh says he wants to tackle corruption, ensure progress toward democracy
Starting Wednesday, @placeholder will head to the polls for the historic election.