The debate repeatedly turned combative

Egyptians crowded around television sets in burberry outlet outdoor cafes for the four-hour debate, aired on several independent TV channels — a startling new experiment for Egypt after nearly 30 years of authoritarian rule under President Hosni Mubarak, ousted last year after a wave of protests. For most of Mubarak's rule, he was re-elected in referendums in which he was the only candidate. The last presidential election, in 2005, was the first to allow multiple candidates, but Mubarak was considered a certain winner and campaigning was weak — and a direct debate was out of the question. The debate, which ran well past midnight, pitted Amr Moussa, who served as Mubarak's foreign minister for 10 years until becoming head of the Arab League in 2001, against Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, a moderate Islamist who broke with the Muslim Brotherhood last year. The two are among 13 candidates competing in the election, due to begin on May 23. The debate repeatedly turned combative, as the two candidates, each standing behind a podium, were also given time to throw questions at each other. Abolfotoh sought to taint Moussa as a key member and supporter of Mubarak's regime. Moussa, in burberry men clothing turn, painted Abolfotoh as beholden to the Muslim Brotherhood and hard-line Islamists. "My point of reference is the nation, your point of reference is the Brotherhood," the 76-year-old Moussa, who has sought to appeal to Egyptians worried about the rising power of Islamists, told his rival. He pushed Abolfotoh to explain his stance on implementing Islamic Shariah law, suggesting that he had "made commitments" to hard-line Islamists. "I want to hear one word of opposition you said under Mubarak's regime," Abolfotoh, 60, shot back, pointing out that Moussa said in 2010 that he would back Mubarak for another term as president. At one Cairo coffeeshop near Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protests that brought down Mubarak, supporters of either candidates broke out in claps and cheers when either candidate hit on the other's perceived weakness— scenes of public 2012 fashion burberry wallets cheap sale beige/yellow support mostly seen in Egypt only around football games.