By Safaa Abdoun
CAIRO: The Freedom and Justice Party reiterated its earlier demand to form a new government Thursday, saying it’s become “urgent and mandatory” after seeing indications of a political will to escalate the crisis.
Following the meeting of the party’s executive office Thursday, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood said that forming a new government which has the support of the parliament’s majority has become “an urgent and mandatory” matter.
The party controls about 47 percent of the People’s Assembly seats and has previously accused the military-appointed Cabinet of Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzoury of failure.
“[FJP] is closely monitoring the deteriorating performance, especially when it comes to security, the economy and combating corruption,” it stated, noting that there has also been extreme slowness in forming the Supreme Council for Culture and the National Council for Women.
The statement also criticized the hiring of corrupt officials in state institutions and as editors of state-run newspapers.
“There is a clear political will to escalate the crisis and budget deficits, in addition to hindering the performance of these institutions in the upcoming period,” FJP said.
Criticism intensified following El-Ganzoury’s statement to parliament last Sunday, which PA speaker Saad El-Katatni had said would determine the Cabinet’s future.
The premier’s speech, aimed to assess government performance, was a repeat of earlier statements, focusing on the worsening economic conditions rather than addressing swift solutions to improve security and the economy.
“The prime minister’s statement lacked any hope in changing the government’s performance. In addition, there is continuous collapse in security and the chaotic situation which threatens national security,” the FJP said.
The party also noted the several armed attacks on MPs and politicians in addition to the lack of political and criminal accountability to the Minister of Interior, who was criticized by MPs for the police role in the Port Said massacre.
Although MPs across the spectrum had criticized the performance of El-Ganzoury and several Cabinet ministers, political powers remain divided about a possible no-confidence vote.
The government report presented by the prime minister last Sunday has been referred to the PA’s specialized committees, which will present their recommendations to parliament this week.
Parties, such as Al-Wasat, El-Adl and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party supported the FJP’s “serious consideration” of passing a no-confidence vote against El Ganzoury’s government.
FJP has expressed its willingness to form the new government to face all the challenges and hold the responsibility of restoring security and stability.
“The majority of the people voted for [FJP] so they clearly represent them, thus they will be able to establish a government that reflects their needs … in this critical situation,” said Tarek Al-Malt, spokesperson of Al-Wasat Party.
On the other hand, other parties object to having an FJP interim government at the moment. “The FJP already dominates the parliament and will in turn dominate the election of the constituent assembly…we don’t want it to control a new interim government as well,” Rifaat Al-Saeid, head of Al-Tagammu Party, previously told DNE.
