(Photo Courtesy of Al-Dostour Party)
Al-Dostour Party President Hala Shukrallah announced in a press conference Wednesday that the majority of the party’s members voted to support Hamdeen Sabahy’s bid for presidency.
Al-Dostour Party made a vote through its 332 offices nationwide. A majority of 59.3% voted for supporting Sabahy, while 28.6% voted to boycott the elections and 10.1% voted to support former minister of defence Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Only 2% voted to support another candidate.
Shukrallah said this democratic method of decision making is the first step of the party’s rebuilding process after the party’s founder and first president Mohamed ElBaradei resigned in July.
Sabahy, who also spoke at the press conference, thanked Al-Dostour Party for its support.
“The Egyptian people were able to topple two regimes but settled for an interim government,” he said. “The will of the people has not been able to reach administrative power up to this day.” He said Egypt is still having a “struggle” with the figures and policies of the Mubarak regime.
He called the partnership with the Al-Dostour Party a “win-win victory”. If he wins, he said, he would act as the authority of the revolution. If he loses, a strong opposition front with strong parties would have been formed.
Shukrallah listed 12 demands for Egypt’s future, including eradicating corruption, debt, illiteracy, disease, and torture.
The party also demanded the release of all political detainees, she said, lamenting that “oppression, unfortunately is still rooted in the country.”
Sabahy seconded Shukrallah’s demand and vowed to work cancel the Protest Law in its current form, calling it “unconstitutional”. If elected, he said he would grant amnesty to all peaceful protesters who have been sentenced under the law. He added that he plans to make legislative reforms that would be in line with the constitution.
Al-Dostour Party is working a separate campaign supporting Sabahy and will help collect signatures required to make him an official candidate.
Sabahy called on all the “revolutionary” parties, groups, and movements to join forces and participate in the presidential elections. The people’s participation will be the only guarantee of the presidential election’s integrity, he said.
