Islamists Rally in Cairo Against Military Rule, Shafiq

Controversial former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq has been approved as a candidate for the presidency.

Hundreds of Egyptian Islamists have demonstrated in Cairo to denounce the ruling military and demand that a former ally of deposed leader Hosni Mubarak be barred from running in next month's presidential election.

Protesters were mainly from the Muslim Brotherhood and the radical Salafi movement.

The demonstration on April 27 comes a day after election officials unveiled a list of 13 candidates eligible to run in the May 23-24 vote -- Egypt's first since Mubarak was overthrown by a popular uprising in February 2011.

Despite a new law passed by Egypt's Islamist-dominated parliament, which bans former Mubarak regime officials from running for office, election officials ruled that Ahmed Shafiq -- the prime minister during Mubarak's final days in power -- is an eligible candidate.

Based on reporting by AP and dpa