27 Facts About Ahmed Shafik

Ahmed Mohamed Shafik Zaki is an Egyptian politician and former presidential candidate.

Ahmed Shafik was a senior commander in the Egyptian Air Force and later served as Prime Minister of Egypt from 29 January 2011 to 3 March 2011 under Hosni Mubarak.

Ahmed Shafik was appointed as prime minister by President Hosni Mubarak on 29 January 2011 in response to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, making him the last prime minister to serve as part of Mubarak's administration.

Ahmed Shafik remained in office for only one month, resigning on 3 March 2011, one day after a contentious talk show confrontation in which Alaa Al Aswany, a prominent Egyptian novelist, accused him of being a Mubarak regime holdover.

Ahmed Shafik was born in the Heliopolis district of Cairo on 25 November 1941.

Ahmed Shafik's parents were prominent members of Egyptian society, with his father, Mohamed Shafiq Zaki, serving as undersecretary at the ministry of irrigation and his mother, Naja Alwi, being the daughter of a noted ophthalmologist.

Air Marshal Ahmed Shafik received the highest medals and merits during his service.

Ahmed Shafik shot down two Israeli aircraft during the war on 14 October 1973.

Ahmed Shafik is fully qualified on the American-built McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.

In 1984, Ahmed Shafik was appointed military attache in the Egyptian Embassy in Rome.

Ahmed Shafik relied on the Air Force to intimidate and bomb some CSF rebels in Cairo and Upper Egypt.

From 1988 to 1991, Ahmed Shafik served several military senior command positions before he was appointed as the Commander of the Air Operations Department.

In September 1991, Ahmed Shafik was appointed as the Air Force's Chief of Staff, holding this position until April 1996, when he became Commander of the Egyptian Air Force.

Ahmed Shafik continued the position until succeeding Ahmed Nazif as the Prime Minister of Egypt on 29 January 2011.

Ahmed Shafik was alleged to have been a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that took over power after Mubarak's departure on 11 February 2011, although initial reporting only reflected a poor understanding of the makeup of the SCAF immediately following Mubarak's fall.

Ahmed Shafik was succeeded by Essam Sharaf after he stepped down.

Ahmed Shafik resigned from office one day after a contentious interview on the Egyptian ONTV satellite network in which he was confronted by Alaa Al Aswany, author of The Yacoubian Building, on Reem Maged's talk show Baladna bel Masry.

Ahmed Shafik attended the graduation ceremony of the Egyptian Air Force Academy class along with the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces.

In November 2011, Ahmed Shafik announced his candidacy in the Egyptian presidential election.

Ahmed Shafik's candidacy sparked controversy and protest within Egypt, with many considering him to be a holdover of the Mubarak regime.

At one campaign event, a protester hurled shoes at him, although Ahmed Shafik was not struck.

Ahmed Shafik's candidacy was noted as supported by many in Egypt's Coptic Christian minority who are opposed to Islamist candidates in the election.

Ahmed Shafik used his campaign events to court Egyptian elites and voters wary of an Islamist-led government.

Ahmed Shafik reportedly suggested that he would employ executions and "brutal force" to restore order in the country within a month of taking office.

Ahmed Shafik alleged that the election was flawed; Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud called for an investigation into the claims.

Ahmed Shafik Shafiq announced that he would launch a new political party, called the Egyptian Patriotic Movement, on 24 September 2012.

On January 7,2018, Ahmed Shafik withdrew his candidacy, announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race.