CAIRO, August 14 (RIA Novosti, Igor Kuznetsov) - Ten candidates for the Egyptian presidency have received funds for their electoral campaign. Under the new election law, the Supreme Electoral Committee transferred $95,000 each to the candidates' accounts in three Egyptian banks this Sunday.
The candidates can also receive private donations of not more than $9,500 apiece into their official accounts. The candidates have no right to accept donations or financial aid from abroad.
The main presidential hopeful, incumbent president Hosni Mubarak officially refused to get any government funds for his electoral campaign. Candidate Numan Gumaa of the Wafd Party followed his example.
The electoral campaign will begin on August 17 and last 19 days.
According to the Egyptian mass media, Mubarak, who is seeking a fifth six-year term, will make public his electoral program on August 16.
Cairo confirmed that the coming presidential elections would be held without any foreign observers. Egypt is not under anyone's custody and will not accept any control of the elections to be exercised by international observers, a political adviser to the head of state said.
Egypt's twenty-two human rights and public organizations received an U.S. grant of $250,000 to exercise independent control of the elections.
Egypt will hold its first ever multi-candidate presidential elections.
