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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 July 2000 Issue No. 491 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 July 2000 Issue No. 491
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters The road to reform
By Nadia Abou El-MagdOpposition parties and activists are satisfied that their long fought for demand that the judiciary supervise all polling stations has been won. However, most still contend that the entire electoral process needs to be reformed in order to ensure fairness and integrity.
According to Hussein Abdel-Razeq of the leftist Tagammu party, the Supreme Constitutional Court ruling that demands judicial authority over the election process is "very important and positive." However, Hussein told Al-Ahram Weekly he was concerned by the extraordinary session of the People's Assembly. Hussein said that it is "a grave abuse of the law and constitution and reflects the government's intention to impose its control over the upcoming elections."
Other measures, in addition to the amendments, are needed to ensure the integrity of elections, Hussein said. "The election law should have been revised completely," he argued. Hussein said that for fair elections to take place, they need to be under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice, rather than the Interior Ministry. Hussein believes that the voter lists prepared by the Interior Ministry are "not representative of the electorate." The Interior Ministry also announces the results of the elections.
For a more free and open process, Hussein believes that the executive needs to stand back from the electoral system. He noted that a pre-requisite for fair elections is an end to the state of emergency, which has been in effect since the 1981 assassination of President Anwar El-Sadat. Hussein believes, "the government complied to the letter of Supreme Constitutional Court ruling, without paying attention to its spirit. The election process needs to be reorganised."
However, there was much praise for the new amendments. Khaled Mohieddin, the Tagammu chairman, told parliament on Sunday that his party supports the legal amendments, describing them as "a courageous decision by the president." Yassin Serageddin, a parliamentary representative of the Wafd party, told the Sunday session that the president has demonstrated "his belief in democracy and freedom." Ali Fath El-Bab, a Labour party MP, said during the Sunday session that "the president's decision is proof of his support for democracy and the constitution." Ragab Hemeida, the Liberal party's representative, told the same session that "a powerful leader is one who respects the law and constitution, and [President Hosni] Mubarak has done that."
Ayman Nour, another Wafdist MP, told the Weekly that what is important is not "the literal application of the law so much as its content and spirit. This will be decisive in achieving the goals of the amendments." Nour added that judicial supervision is "a corner-stone, but other stones are needed." These building blocks should include a revision of the voter lists and provisions for ensuring equal media access for both opposition and government candidates, he said. Ma'mun El-Hodeibi, spokesman for the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, told the Weekly that "this is a true beginning and a step towards fair elections. But there are other steps to be taken. However, we don't, and shouldn't, expect all steps to be taken at once or overnight," he said.
Hodeibi, age 79, said he is planning to run as an independent in the upcoming elections. The amendments have given him "new hope following the despair we were living in." However, Hodeibi tempered his optimism noting the arrest of several members of the Brotherhood. "We condemn these arrests and we believe that there is a contradiction inside the state -- some officials are not in harmony with the policies of the president," he said.
Essam El-Erian, a prominent figure in the Brotherhood and a former MP, called the decision of the Supreme Constitutional Court "a historical ruling. It achieved one of the main demands of the opposition. But, more importantly, it underlined the leading role that the Constitutional Court can play." El-Erian told the Weekly, "the question now is why don't we take the belated crucial step of political reform," he added.
El-Erian is currently considering running in the upcoming elections. In 1995, he was sentenced by a military court to five years imprisonment for activities related to the elections of that year. "I haven't given up my commitment to play a role in political and public life, but my family, who suffered a lot as a result of my imprisonment, has to approve [my decision]," he said.
