* Qaradawi says Abol Fotoh the best candidate so far
* Abol Fotoh split from Brotherhood last year
* Unclear how far endorsement will affect vote - analyst
CAIRO, Feb 15 (Reuters) - A former member of the
Muslim Brotherhood is the best of the Egyptian presidential
candidates to have emerged so far, a high-profile Islamic cleric
has said, support that could help his chances in the race to
become the next head of state.
Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian cleric based in
Qatar, described Abdel Moneim Abol Fotoh as the "leading
candidate" from a field including former Arab League Secretary
General Amr Moussa, a liberal and former foreign minister.
Though it is hard to say how much sway Qaradawi could have
over the public at large, his remarks could influence those
voters sympathetic to the Islamist groups which dominated recent
parliamentary elections, including supporters of the Muslim
Brotherhood, which is not contesting the presidency.
"I see Abol Fotoh as the first in terms of age and
experience of Arab and Egyptian affairs," Qaradawi said in an
interview with the Shorouk newspaper published on Wednesday. "He
is a cheerful man of good morals who deals with everyone."
The election to decide who will be the first president of
the post-Hosni Mubarak era will be held in late May, state
newspaper al-Ahram quoted a government minister as saying on
Wednesday. The ruling military council is due to hand power to
the new head of state at the end of June.
One of the most widely respected Sunni Muslim clerics in the
Arab world, Qaradawi is a former member of the Muslim
Brotherhood seen as close to the group but independent of it.
He is a household name in the Arab world thanks to his
regular appearances on the Qatar-based Al Jazeera channel.
The Brotherhood's decision not to field its own presidential
candidate is part of an effort to ease the concerns of those at
home and abroad worried about Islamist domination of the
post-Mubarak era.
The group has also said it will not back any of the other
Islamists who are seeking the presidency, a stance that would
appear to rule out its backing for Abol Fotoh, 60.
His decision to run for the presidency resulted in expulsion
from the Brotherhood. His departure from the group last year was
the culmination of years of friction with other members of the
Brotherhood leadership.
More organised than others, the group banned under former
Mubarak secured more than 43 percent of the seats in the new
legislature, making it the biggest single party.
Qaradawi said Abol Fotoh's qualities meant he was "ahead of
others". "This is my view," Qaradawi said. "The Brotherhood have
their view."
Shadi Hamid, an expert on Islamist groups based at the
Brookings Doha Center, said Qaradawi's remarks on Abol Fotoh,
while positive, fell short of outright backing for now.
"Because this is the first real election in Egypt, we don't
know how far these kind of endorsements go," he said.
But he added: "His words carry weight, people listen to him
... If he comes out and says: 'There are two people here and I
urge all Egyptians to vote for one of them', then that could
help tip the balance."
(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Alison Williams)
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