(Photo from Misr Al-Qawia Facebook Page)
By Aya Nader
Three Misr Al-Qawia (Strong Egypt) political party members were arrested on Tuesday while hanging “No to the Constitution” posters in Garden City, Cairo.
“They were harassed by Semiramis Hotel security guards and then handed to the security directorate,” claimed the party’s spokesman, Ahmed Imam.
Imam said the party members, Ihab Abdelkerim, Ali Mohamed Ali and Islam Makhlouf, are charged with the possession of anti-constitution posters, “which falls under one of the many illogical charges taking place nowadays”.
The hotel denied these allegations, stating that their guards neither have the weapons nor the authority to take such actions.
Imam added that the party has not yet come to a decision whether to boycott or vote No on the referendum, as developments occur every day, “we hold daily meetings to discuss the changes happening.”
“Fraud can occur very easily after interim President Adly Mansour’s decree that Egyptians can vote outside their residency areas, especially since the voting is taking place over a period of two days. People can vote twice, inside and outside their regions,” he said.
The party said that their decision to vote No was a result of their disagreement with certain articles. For example, those involving the military institution, liberties and rights, the centralisation of education, or governmental control over schools and curriculums without taking into account the role of civil society.“The constitution does not represent all Egyptians,” Imam added.
The Ministry of Interior was not available for comment.
