The new law on elections will allow corrupt individuals to gain a foothold in parliament, said Essam al-Erian, vice president of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, on Monday.
“There is a loophole in the new elections law that allows corrupt people, especially businessmen, who have spoiled political life, to infiltrate parliament,” he said.
Erian said political parties have given the ruling military council an ultimatum to amend the law before 7 August, or they would file a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality.
He explained that the single-winner system established by the law means that businessmen can still run, even if political parties refuse to include them in their lists.
The controversial elections law, approved by the ruling military council last Wednesday, decreed that half of the seats for Egypt's upcoming parliament would be elected through the single-winner system and half by list-based candidacy. The law runs contrary to the wishes of political parties and movements, most of which favor list-based candidacy.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
