Sabbahi: I was smeared because I was a threat

Former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi said Thursday that oppositional forces had conducted a smear campaign against him because they saw him as a threat.

"When I analyzed the sources of attacks against me, I found out they belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, former presidential hopefuls and Ahmed Shafiq supporters," he said.

Sabbahi appeared on the “Akher al-Nahar” program on privately-owned Al-Nahar channel.

"A simple man like me has neither a political party nor an organization to support him; [a man] who God has bestowed His love and generosity upon him, through garnering 5 million votes in the presidential elections,” he told host Mahmoud Saad.

Sabbahi said Egyptians’ outpouring of support on the Internet meant a great deal to him. He said that the smear campaign was conducted against him because of his popularity.

Sabbahi has been criticized for forming an alliance with telecom mogul Naguib Sawiris, among others, after his loss in the first round of presidnetial elections. Sawiris, founder of the Free Egyptians Party, supported Shafiq in the runoff elections.

He did not meet Sawiris personally, he said, and the meetings he attended were for political parties that founded the alliance dubbed the “Third Current.”

He also stressed he would remain a Nasserist and that he boycotts no one but Israel.

Sabbahi expressed concerns about the changes the Muslim Brotherhood might put in place now that former MB leader Mohamed Morsy has become president.

"I have no fear of the Muslim Brotherhood, but I fear a 'brotherhoodizing' the state and I am against the Brotherhood’s domination of the state,” he said.

He also said that the group was not immune from corruption. Sabbahi said he rejects the combination of wealth and power in any form.

"There are businessmen like Ahmed Ezz in the Muslim Brotherhood, such as was the case with the Ntional Democratic Party," he said.

He said that will be common in both the time of former President Hosni Mubarak and Morsy is the existence of poor people.  He said he wanted to draw attention to the issue because it is worthy, but also to warn Morsy agaisnt committing the same mistakes of Mubarak's regime.