The Egyptian provinces have seen a fresh round of battles centering around banners promoting various presidential hopefuls, with some campaign workers complaining that their banners have been torn down by rivals, particularly from Islamist groups.
“Happy Eid” banners carrying the photos of Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei were torn down in the streets of Aswan’s Kom Ombo. Meanwhile, placards supporting former Arab League chief, Amr Moussa, were visible in various streets in Kafr al-Sheikh.
In Aswan, Gamal Fadel, coordinator for the campaign supporting ElBaradei’s presidency, accused Islamist groups of plotting the removal of his campaign banners. He said placards supporting Islamist nominees were untouched, despite their position next to ElBaradei’s.
“Kom Ombo has become a haven for hardline groups who previously assaulted members of our campaign,” Fadel said.
In Kafr al-Sheikh, Osama Fathalla, Moussa’s campaign coordinator, said their nominee will visit the province this month, and will hold a press conference, at which he will present his electoral platform.
On Tuesday, a crisis surfaced between the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest political group, and its high-profile dissident member, Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, another presidential hopeful, as supporters of the latter accused Brotherhood elements in the province of Gharbiya of removing his posters and assaulting his backers. The group denied the allegations.
Abouel Fotouh's decision to run for the presidency had violated a Brotherhood decision not to field a presidential candidate, prompting the group to revoke his membership.
Mohamed al-Shehawy, Abouel Fotouh’s chief campaign manager, said on his facebook page that he had received complaints from campaign members of Brotherhood abuses. Shehawy also lambasted similar actions by Brotherhood elements in Minya and Cairo.
Meanwhile, Sayyed Zyeada, coordinator for Abouel Fotouh’s campaign in Gharbiya, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Brotherhood assaults were planned. He said the group’s secretary in Gharbiya, Safwat Shalaby, tore down one of Abouel Fotouh’s banners before their eyes. He also accused Shalaby of beating him, and said that he had decided to file a police report of the incident.
Meanwhile, Amed al-Egeizy, the secretary of the Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood’s political arm, in Gharbiya, denied the alleged assaults, arguing that such actions are not consistent with the Brotherhood's way of operating, and stressing on the group’s respect for Abouel Fotouh.
Political groups had decided to seize the opportunity of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations to hang banners congratulating Egyptians on the holy feast as a means for promoting themselves ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The most common banners were those belonging to the Freedom and Justice Party, the Freedom Party and the Egyptian Citizen Party.
Meanwhile, posters from members of the disbanded, previously-ruling National Democratic Party were notably absent.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
