CAIRO: The Democratic Front Party called for a boycott of all upcoming elections in Egypt if demands for constitutional and political reform are not met, a decision made by the party’s higher committee during its meeting last Friday.
The party’s media spokesman Hossam Al-Amir told Daily News Egypt Monday that the decision was taken within the party, and was not coordinated during a prior meeting with Mohamed ElBaradei nor was it a decision agreed upon by other parties in the Quartet Bloc – four opposition parties which also include Al-Wafd, Tagammu and Nasserist parties that recently formed a coalition.
Head of the Democratic Front Party Osama Al-Ghazali Harb announced the higher committee’s decision in a press conference Sunday and in a statement, the party said that it would reconsider the decision only if demands for political reform were met.
Elections for the Shoura Council take place this month, while People’s Assembly elections are due in October. These precede the presidential election of 2011.
“Participation in any forthcoming elections is predicated upon securing the constitutional and legal reforms needed to ensure the integrity and freedom of the elections, the party said in its statement.
However, it was reported in Al-Masry Al-Youm Monday that the other parties in the Quartet Bloc did not subscribe to the boycott, and quoted a Wafd official as saying that the party would put forward candidates for the parliamentary elections.
A delegation from the Democratic Front Party headed by Harb had met with former IAEA chief ElBaradei at his home last week where they discussed constitutional reform, especially in the articles that govern the electoral process.
The Democratic Front Party is also part of the National Coalition for Change, headed by ElBaradei, which is also calling for constitutional amendments first and foremost, specifically to Articles 76, 77 and 88 that relate to the elections, judicial oversight of elections and the number of presidential terms.
The umbrella of opposition movements is also calling for an end to emergency law, which has been in place for 29 years and gives the state and its security apparatus far ranging powers with regards holding civilians without charge.
The Associated Press had reported last week that ElBaradei had also called for a boycott of elections in the absence of constitutional reform, claiming that this would strip the regime of the appearance of legitimacy.
