CAIRO: The Kefaya Movement for Change has pulled out of a coalition campaigning against the inheritance of power due to disagreements over ties with US officials.
The disagreement arose over the proposed visit of Al-Ghad party leader and former presidential candidate Ayman Nour to the United States, from which he was prevented from going by the authorities.
“It is an integral disagreement with regards to dealing with the American administration, whether the White House or the US embassy in Cairo, Kefaya coordinator Abdel-Halim Qandil told Daily News Egypt, “The [Kefaya] charter prohibits this.
The campaign against inheritance of power opposes the mooted succession of Gamal Mubarak as the country’s next president.
“Inheritance of power is not just about Gamal Mubarak, but about anyone who replicates the current system. We also agreed that the campaign would only be internal, comprising Egyptians, Qandil said. “Our opposition to the current regime is tied with our opposition to the US and Israeli agenda in the region.
Kefaya was formed on the eve of Egypt’s first presidential elections in 2005 and opposes the continued rule of President Mubarak. Both Kefaya and the campaign also oppose current regime in any form.
“We are countries under American hegemony and we want freedom from that, Qandil said. “It’s not about the American people; it is about ties to the political apparatus in the US.
“Ayman Nour wanted to go to the US and he was meeting with official political bodies like the Council of Foreign Relations. He was also meeting Saad Eddin Ibrahim who has strong ties with the US administration, he added.
However, Qandil pointed out that it was not just about Nour’s proposed visit, but the willingness of other members of the campaign to visit the US Embassy in Cairo if invited.
“How we can confront a regime that has ties with America, with an opposition that has ties with America? he said.
A coalition of opposition parties that included the Tagammu, Wafd and Nasserist parties met Sunday and called for constitutional amendments that would limit the powers of the president.
They also called for an amendment to Article 76 that governs the eligibility of presidential candidates.
The article stipulates that a candidate must have been on the governing council of his party for at least one year prior to the election, and that the party must have been active for at least five years.
Additionally, any presidential hopeful must secure a total of 250 signatures from both legislative houses and local councils to become an official candidate.
Opposition members state that it is impossible for a candidate outside the ruling National Democratic Party to secure these signatures as it holds a majority in both houses.
