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Intellectuals speak out about negative repercussions of election fraud
A number of high-profile intellectuals and public figures from across the political spectrum issued a statement on Saturday warning against the negative repercussions of election fraud and violence on the future of democracy in Egypt. The statement emerged just one day after a signed testimony by Noha El-Zeini -- a deputy chairman of the Administrative Prosecution Authority who supervised elections in Damanhour -- was published in Al-Masry Al-Youm . El-Zeini said that the results at the polling stations she was in charge of were rigged in favour of the NDP's candidate. 137 judges who also supervised elections in Damanhour immediately backed her testimony. The intellectuals' statement is reproduced below:
"The signatories of this statement voice deep concern for the future of their country as they witness the demise of the hopes they and the rest of the Egyptian people had for a fair and clean democratic system, and an end to the crisis of corruption. What we are witnessing is a breakdown of the present and future of the Egyptian state.
The parliamentary elections have been tainted with flagrant fraud and unprecedented violence. This much has been disclosed by the testimonies of the honourable members of the Egyptian judiciary who proved that they are a mainstay of freedom in this country. The fraud may lead to a collapse in the legitimacy of the state and the current regime, in light of the fact that political reform was a major element in the justification for a fifth term for the president of the republic.
In the absence of fairness and transparency, the doors are wide open for anything that may influence this country in the near future. Therefore, we call on all national forces to come together and confront the assault on the dignity of the masses and the forgery of their will. We also call on the president to intervene in person -- before it's too late -- and honour the promises he made to the electorate, thereby restoring the public's hope for long-awaited democracy.
The signatories call on all patriots to join them in signing this statement."
Signatories: Radwa Ashur, Layla Anan, Tarek El-Birshri, Abdel-Azim Anis, Mahmoud Amin El-Alem, Bahaa Taher, Abdel-Wahab El-Mesiri, Hasan Nafaa, George Ishaq, Gamal Assad Abdel-Malek, Mohamed Selim El-Awwa, Aziz Sidqi, Amin Iskandar, Galal Amin, George Agaybi, Fahmi Howeidy, Mona Makram Ebeid, Osama El-Ghazali Harb, Sayed Desouki, Mohamed Emarah, Hani Shukrallah, Ahmed Hamdi, Rafik Habib, Salah Abdel-Motaal, Diaa Rashwan, Amr El-Choubaki, Mohamed El-Said Idris, Salama Ahmed Salama, Hosam Issa, Mohamed Abul-Ghar, Ahmed El-Mahdi Abdel-Halim, Aida El-Azab Mousa, Seif Abdel-Fattah, Salah Hafez, Hamed Ammar, Mohamed El-Sayed Said, Said Ismail, Yehya El-Rifai, Helmi Ashrawi, Mahmoud Abdel-Fadil, Mohsena Tawfik, Manar El-Shourbagi, Abul-Ela Madi, Hamdi Ahmed.
Cairo 26 November
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/771/eg7.htm