The chairman of the Alexandria Bar Association, Mohamed Ali Suleiman, has submitted a lawsuit to the state council demanding President Hosni Mubarak and Interior Minister Habib al-Adly cancel the People’s Assembly elections recently scheduled for 28 November.
Suleiman’s petition argues the presidential decree to hold elections conflicts with the time period stipulated by the law on political rights. He based the claim on Article 22/1 of Law 73/1956 and subsequent amendments, which say the date for elections should be announced at least 45 days in advance of the poll.
Suleiman said Mubarak's 21 October declaration of the election date represents an overt legal violation. He added that the announcement aimed to deprive opposition candidates of adequate preparation time.
Suleiman called for the annulment of the decision in order to ensure equal opportunity for the nominees.
In related news, an Egyptian coalition for monitoring elections, comprised of 123 organizations and human rights groups, predicted the poll will be conducted in an atmosphere of media, legislative, and political constraint.
A statement by the coalition called for changes to be made to the law on political rights to facilitate monitoring by civil society institutions inside and outside of polling stations. The statement also called for the vote count to be held in public, and to allow candidates and their representatives to witness the process.
If these demands are not met, the statement says, the coalition will seek legal action–a position similar to the stance the coalition took in 2005.
Meanwhile the Egyptian Association for Supporting Democratic Development said its 5000 monitors are prepared to oversee the entire voting process.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
