Muslim Brotherhood presidential hopeful Mohamed Mursi promised to improve Egypt's economy during an interview on the 90 Minutes TV programme Tuesday night.
Speaking to media personality Amr El-Leithy, Mursi said that the Brotherhood's Nahda (Renaissance) project had the capacity to reduce unemployment and improve living standards in Egypt.
Mursi, who is the head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), revealed the party had held talks with international companies and convinced them to invest LE200 billion in the country.
There are many groups in Egyptian society which could establish small enterprises once the country is stable, Mursi said.
China has $3 trillion to invest in Africa, and Egypt could benefit from this, he added.
He also stressed that he would respect the different groups in society, including journalists, farmers and women.
Mursi said he expected to secure 60 per cent of the votes in the first round, negating the need for a second run-off round of voting in presidential elections scheduled to begin on 23 May. In an Al-Ahram poll conducted between 28 April and 1 May, Mursi was favoured by 9.4 per cent of voters.
Regarding Israel, he said the Camp David peace treaty needed to be revised in order to achieve complete peace, give the Palestinian Diaspora the right to return and create a free Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Mursi is one of the Brotherhood's top leaders and was its official spokesperson for years. The group presented him as their presidential candidate after its first choice, Khairat El-Shater, was eliminated from the race due to a previous criminal conviction.
He has been touring Egypt's governorates since he kicked off his campaign. On Wednesday night he will visit Fayoum.
