(Hassan Ibrahim/DNE /File Photo )
The Salafi Al-Nour Party put forth an extensive list of criteria for evaluating presidential candidates on Monday, reiterating that it would not field its own presidential candidate.
he only major Islamist party that has supported Egypt’s transitional roadmap following former president Mohamed Morsi’s ouster, Al Nour said that it would “support he whom [the party] sees is in a better position to lead the country in the next stage.”
In its statement, Al-Nour listed an extensive list of issues that it saw as priorities for the next president, calling on candidates to also provide mechanisms and timelines for implementing the provisions of their platform. The issues were divided into sections: internal, legislative, social, foreign policy, economic reform, services, appointment of a presidential team, and freedoms and human rights matters.
Al-Nour Party demanded that the next president have a plan to “achieve national reconcilliation and restore cohesion to the Egyptian people by the standards of transitional justice” and to engage the youth in political participation.
The party also demanded the implementation of investigations by neutral fact-finding committees for events after 3 July, while formulating ways to respond to armed groups ina just manner.
Al-Nour added that the next president needed to adopt a media charter and develop a framework for confronting corruption. The party also demanded the “development of police and security apparatus in order to achieve security and discipline within the framework of the law and respect for human rights.”
Candidates, added Al-Nour, needed to find a way to implement Article 2 of the constitution, which makes principles of Sharia Law the “principle source of legislation”.
For social issues, Al-Nour Party said the next president would need to face the “crisis of moral chaos in the Egyptian street” and illicit drug trade. The statement also listed “religious and intellectual extremism, giving takfir (accusations of apostasy) and atheism as examples. The statement also brought up unemployment, people with special needs, and urban development.
The Salafi party outlined seven points for foreign policy that included water security, dealing with Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam and taking important roles in resolving issues in Palestine and Syria. Al-Nour also said it welcomed relations with Iran, but “without opening ports to the Shi’a tide”, which it said posted a threat to Egypt’s national fabric and national security.
Quality of education, developing the systems for healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and waste were also areas in which the party directed presidential candidates to tackle.
Al-Nour Party stressed that the next president would need to create a team from different parties and currents, choosing appointees “on the basis of efficiency”.
The president must also find a way “to achieve a balance between freedom of expression, the right to demonstrate, and the security of the homeland and citizens,” according to the party.
