[Al Arabiya] With the parliamentary elections drawing close, the Egyptian government issued a resolution that bans all parties from using religious slogans in campaign in what was perceived as a direct provocation towards the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. ... whose motto is "Islam is the Answer"...
The Higher Election Committee issued Sunday a statement imposing several restrictions on candidates while conducting their campaigns in preparation for the upcoming parliamentary elections on November 28.
According to the statement, of which AlArabiya.net obtained a copy, candidates are obliged to preserve the national unity of Egypt and not to use any slogans or symbols that have a religious reference. Candidates are also not allowed to use places of worship to garner support from voters.
Wot? No rabble rousing in the mosques? Why have them?
Other restrictions included that candidates should refrain from alluding to the private life of their competitors,
"... and it's a documented fact that behind closed doors my opponent is a flaming heterosexual!"
basing their campaigns on race or gender discrimination, and using educational institutions in their campaigning.
Head of the Higher Election Committee, Abdul-Aziz Omar, said the committee will monitor the slogans used by candidates and will cross out the names of those who use religious symbols.
"The committee will submit to the Supreme Administrative Court the names of candidates who violate the regulations and the court will issue an immediate ruling."
Omar explained that the timing of the ruling determines how the election process goes. If the ruling to cross out the candidate's name is issued before the poll starts, election in his/her constituency takes place between the remaining candidates.
If the ruling is not issued by the time the poll starts, the election process takes its normal course without crossing out the candidate's name. However,
The infamous
However...
if this candidate gets a number of votes that makes him/her a winner or qualified for a rerun, the committee has the right to stop the announcement of the results until the court issues its ruling.