Holding early presidential elections is not a coup against legitimacy but is an application of real democracy, former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh said on Wednesday.

I want to remind President Mohamed Mursi that he is a public servant and that he must be transparent while dealing with the people, Aboul Fotouh, head of the 'Strong Egypt' Party and a former leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, said.

We know of the conspiracies we are experiencing but you should not use that as an excuse for your failure, Aboul Fotouh added.

"Your role is to protect your people. You must seek shelter in your people not your faction."

During a speech he gave at Minya University today, the former presidential candidate called for revealing the identities of those whom he called "conspirators" and ending the era of the authoritarian and police state.

Aboul Fotouh criticised Prime Minister Hisham Kandil's cabinet for its failure to identify the killers of Egyptian soldiers in Rafah last August as well as the killers in the Maspero and Mohamed Mahmoud clashes.

Scuffles broke out between attending students who belong to the Popular Current and members of the Muslim Brotherhood  during the conference at Minya University, an Aswat Masriya eyewitness reported.