(Photo from Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby )
By Kanzy Mahmoud
Members of the political coalition Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby on Tuesday contributed their share of signed petitions to the Tamarod signature campaign.
The total signatures delivered to Tamarod’s headquarters amounted to 1.1 million, according to state-owned Al-Ahram. The petition campaign, meant to show mass public disapproval in the government of President Mohamed Morsi and call for early elections, had collected a total of 7.5 million signatures as of 29 May, out of its goal of 15 million by 30 June.
At a press conference in Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby’s Cairo headquarters, Mohamed Abdel Aziz, a founder of the Tamarod campaign, said: “Our vision is not a new revolution; our vision encompasses a bigger wave of the January Revolution.”
Abdel Aziz stated that the opposition would settle for nothing less than the ouster of President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood from power.
He proposed a plan for the transitional period after a hypothetical overthrow of the president, wherein the chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court would serve as acting president and a coalition cabinet would be formed from representatives of all national political movements. The cabinet’s main mission would be to save the economy, Abdel Aziz said. National and defence security forces would be subordinate to the National Defence Council.
Abdel Aziz said that Tamarod would continue to gather petitions after 30 June until all Egyptians have signed to withdraw confidence in Morsi.
Mahmoud Badr, Tamarod spokesperson, added that Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby provided great help in printing and collecting signed petitions.
Badr waved off the possibility that the start of the month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn until dusk, would disrupt their protests. Ramadan begins almost two weeks after 30 June.
“Tamarod will host a collective Iftar in front of the Presidential Palace on the first day of Ramadan,” Badr said. “We will be celebrating the removal of President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Founder of Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby, Hamdeen Sabahi, mentioned Monday night in an interview on independent satellite channel Dream that Tamarod is the one leading the demonstrations on 30 June.
He stressed that the protests would be peaceful and in the case of a successful ouster of President Morsi, a coalition government would lead the country for a transitional period not exceeding six months, followed by the creation of a new constitution determining the duties of the future president until early elections are held.
“I will only run for those positions where the people see me fit,” added Sabahi.
In an effort to prepare for 30 June demonstrations, members of the 6 April Youth Movement, including its founder Ahmed Maher, met Monday night with Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby members to discuss the creation of a united front administering the protests, said Heba Yassin, media spokesperson of Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby.
Yassin added that further meetings will be held between the various opposition parties and movements until 30 June.
Since late April Tamarod has been pioneering the campaign calling for early presidential elections by aiming to collect 15 million signed petitions to withdraw confidence in President Morsi. So far, the movement has been joined by a number of opposition parties, including the Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby coalition, Al-Dostour Party, the Egyptian Democratic Front, and the Socialist Popular Alliance Party.
