(Photo by Hassan Ibrahim)
SEC to announce candidates
The Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) should announce the names of all candidates who applied for parliamentary elections starting Sunday or Monday for three days in two state-run newspapers, expected to be Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar, for the purpose of allowing appeals before the administrative court against the candidacy of some members to be looked into.
Candidates started applying to the SEC on 8 February, with the door for candidacy set to be closed on 17 February, but which was then extended by two days for those who had applied but were missing the required documents. An inside source told Daily News Egypt Saturday that many candidates applications could not be finalised because of a delay in their medical reports.
In mid-January, a court decision imposed medical examination on candidates who wish to run for the elections, including alcohol and drugs tests. The SEC member had told Daily News that there have been difficulties in the process because it was the first time for the measure to be implemented, and that coordination between the electoral commission and the Ministry of Health had faced problems, including a challenge for Egyptians living abroad to be able to come to Egypt to run tests, which has been solved through Egyptian embassies abroad.
“Egypt’s Renaissance” electoral coalition claim security threat; presents only 3 of 4 lists
The electoral coalition list known as “Egypt’s Renaissance” which includes the Egyptian Social Democratic Party (EDSP), has complained through its members speaking to the media, about the interference of some security officials and institutions, threatening politicians to withdraw from the elections or change affiliations.
The coalition’s spokesperson Ramy Galal told Daily News Egypt over the phone last Wednesday that he addressed the presidential office regarding the matter. “I told them that some speak in the name of the president to try and influence the political scene, and that some members were even threatened, but was informed that the presidency did not know and had no information of such a thing, but I made my case anyway,” Galal said.
Meanwhile, “Egypt’s Renaissance” will only compete with three electoral lists out of a total four, which will cover the Cairo constituencies, Giza and Upper Egypt, in addition to East Delta, dropping the competition in West Delta, where there should be lists of 15 people. This means that the coalition will give up on running in Alexandria. Galal added that the coalition aims at acquiring a majority of seats in the governorates of Upper Egypt, expecting a competition with Al-Nour Salafi Party.
Ahmed Ezz can run in elections despite ongoing trial
Despite media reports suggesting that candidate Ahmed Ezz could be denied entry to the parliament because of a pending trial regarding the illegal acquisition of shares in Dekheila Steel Company. Ezz and five other defendants are accused of seizing the company’s funds, and their next session is scheduled for 10 May, as this is a retrial following a previously annulled verdict sentencing Ezz to 10 years in prison.
The steel business tycoon and former member of the dissolved National Democratic Party is still allowed to run for elections, as long as no verdict has been issued in the case. Ezz was released last March on a bail of EGP 2m, reduced from an original amount of EGP 100m. Ezz is running the next elections for the constituency of Sadat in the governorate of Menufiya, where citizens will vote in the second phase of the elections between 25 and 27 April.
Amr Moussa’s political advisor to run for elections under Al-Wafd Party
Mohamed Rashad Abdullatif, who worked as a political advisor for former presidential candidate Amr Moussa, announced he will run for the elections in the Zaytoun constituency in Cairo, representing Al-Wafd Party. His media advisor Mohamed Moussa is also a spokesperson for the Conference Party, which tried to form a coalition with Al-Wafd Party but ended up amid the electoral coalition list called “For the Love of Egypt”, in which Al-Wafd eventually participated as well.
Salafi Party compete on majority of seats
The Salafi Nour Party presented four lists in all the electoral districts. The party said it is going to compete on 64% of parliamentary seats. This includes all the list seats, and 229 individual seats. It added that the party aims to “work hard to build the state and finish the transitional period to reach stability”.
The party has previously stated that it will not be able finance the campaigns of its individual candidates, adding that in each governorate will have special programmes in additional to the main programme agreed upon by the high board of the party
Sahfiq led coalition gear up to gain majority
A strong competitor to the well-organised Nour Party, the Egyptian Front Coalition similarly presented four lists to compete on all lists in the country. The coalition includes prominent governors, judges, Mubarak-era politicians and businessmen.
Conservative Party focus on women, youth and Copts as candidates
The Conservative Party will run in the upcoming elections with 41 individual candidates. Out of the 41, the party said, 37 will be youth, Coptic Christians, and women.
The party said that “elections will be the last pillar of the roadmap to establish the new government”.
