CAIRO: Twenty-five political parties and movements said Monday they will not boycott parliamentary elections, despite increasing concerns about securing the polls in light of the ongoing deadly Tahrir clashes.
“We call upon SCAF to ensure that the parliamentary elections take place on time [Nov. 28] and to implement the treachery law, in addition to having presidential elections no later than April 2012,” the parties wrote in a statement.
SCAF also vowed Monday to approve amendments to the treachery act and activate it to combat crimes of "corrupting political life." Many right groups and political observers have called for a political exclusion law instead, saying a treachery law would be used to target activists not members of the Mubarak regime.
The representatives called on SCAF to set a timeline for handing over power to a civilian government.
The guarantees the parties are seeking are only for securing the elections and don’t involve any political intervention, candidate Abdel Moneim El Sawy told reporters.
Representatives of parties that attended a joint press conference on Monday demanded an immediate end to ongoing clashes in Tahrir, the release of all detainees arrested since Jan. 25 and an end to military trials for civilians.
The clashes that started that began with a violent crackdown on a small sit-in on Saturday have left 23 dead and hundreds injured.
The parties also called for a declaration of national mourning.
“We also demand the dismissal of Minister of Interior Mansour El-Essawy and Minister of Information Osama Heikal; and to begin discussions for the formation of a national salvation government,” said Ghad Al-Thawra party leader Ayman Nour.
He said that the press conference participants will together file a complaint against both ministers at the general prosecutor’s office.
“We also informed the interior minister…that we will go to Tahrir and form a human shield between his forces and protesters, even if we risk death,” he added.
Parties taking part in the conference spanned the political spectrum, including Ghad Al-Thawra, Al-Nour, the Democratic Front and several youth-led parties and movements. Mohamed El-Beltagy of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party was also present.
Spokesman of the Democratic Alliance Waheed Abdel-Meguid said the parties mourn the sorrowful death of Egypt’s youth who were fighting for freedom. Political powers won’t accept a state of oppression that the Egyptians have been fighting against, he added.
The participants were urged by a man, identifying himself as a protester from Tahrir, to boycott the elections, at which point the politicians announced the close of the conference.
