The Building and Development Party and Al-Wasat Party have announced they will boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections and will not support any entity.
The Building and Development Party, the political arm of Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya, said in a statement Monday that the country only sees “staged elections, which will increase the divisions between the Egyptian people”.
“Reasons for the boycott are that the elections ignore the problem of division among the masses and that it marginalised sectors of the community,” the statement said.
The elections, the party said, will add only a “democratic cover” to the political scene, and are being done in an “environment full of oppression, hatred, and vendetta”.
The party, which is a member of the Anti-Coup Alliance (ACA), asserted the existence of a crackdown to silence opposition and violate human rights.
Additionally, it will work with other entities to “find a fair political solution which satisfies the needs of both the opposition and the supporters of the regime”.
Similarly, Al-Wasat Party announced Tuesday it will boycott the elections, saying “the measures taken by the current government since the coup of July 2103 necessitate that political forces takes a united stand”.
The party also cited “the increased violations against the outcomes of the revolution” and the legislation of a number of oppressive laws as reasons for boycotting. Furthermore, it blamed the volatile situation in Sinai on the “security solution, which the state prefers to apply”.
Earlier in February, the Salafi Watan Party, liberal Al-Dostour Party, and the Socialist Popular Alliance Party declared that they will boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections, expected to take place next March.
The three parties cited different reasons for the boycott, such as absence of guarantees to have fair elections, police brutality, and presence of oppressive laws that hinder political participation.
