Egyptian authorities on Wednesday decided to release jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour as his health is deteriorating, Al-Arabiya TV reported, dpa reported. Nour was sent to prison in 2005 on forgery charges after winning 13 percent of the vote in the presidential election - second to Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt since 1981. Nour is a former lawyer and leader of the Ghad (Tomorrow) party, which has lost ground significantly since the incarceration of its charismatic leader. Nour's wife, Gamila Ismail, said that her husband's deteriorating health conditions require extra care that cannot be provided behind bars. Gamila claims that her husband's diabetes was affecting his eyes, joints, and back and that he also had heart disease.