| Submit your comments on this article |
| Africa North |
| Center-Left party to boycott Egypt election |
| 2015-02-08 |
| Cairo -- A major political party says it will boycott Egypt’s elections next month in protest at what it calls the military government’s human rights violations. Saturday’s announcement by the centre-left Dostour party raises fresh doubts about whether the elections, due to start on March 21, will produce a parliament that truly represents public opinion. Dostour said in a statement that the government made it impossible for opposition parties to campaign openly. “The current political climate does not encourage political parties to participate in public life,” it said. Egypt has had no parliament since 2012, when a court ordered the dissolution of the previous legislature. The Muslim Brotherhood of former President Mohammed Mursi, ousted in 2013, is barred from next month’s elections because the government has outlawed the movement. Political parties face many disadvantages in an election law passed last year. Nearly 75 per cent of the seats in the 567-member assembly are reserved for individual candidates, which analysts say favours wealthy businessmen best able to fund personal campaigns. Another 5 per cent of seats will be directly appointed by President Abdel Fatah Al Sisi, the former army chief who has led Egypt since last year. Opposition activists predict that well-connected businessmen and one or two parties loyal to Sisi will dominate the next parliament. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 Translation: The White House put all its political assets into Israel's election. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2015-02-08 10:14 |
| #1 We can't win, so we're not gonna play. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2015-02-08 05:15 |