Egypt

Islamist alliance for upcoming parliamentary elections collapses

Salafi and Islamist groups will run for the next parliamentary elections on separate slates, the Salafi-led Nour Party, Asala Party, and Hazem Salah Abu Ismail's campaign have announced.

The Asala, Nour and the Construction and Development parties contested the previous parliamentary elections in one coalition.

The Salafi Front announced its members would run in the elections for the first time since its founding and contest a majority of seats. The Salafi Front added it was considering joining Abu Ismail's new party or establishing its own party.

Abu Ismail's campaign said that he is studying different proposals from political parties that had asked to join his new party. It added that the party is expecting to compete with the Nour Party in upcoming elections.

The Asala Party has postponed creating an alliance with any existing parties, whereas the Nour Party said it would hold a meeting within few days to discuss the plan for the parliamentary elections, seeking a Salafi alliance.

The Construction and Development Party, the political arm of the Jama'a al-Islamiya, announced it was contesting the elections for two-thirds of the council seats allocated for party slates on separate lists in all constituencies.

The party said it would coordinate with other Islamic political forces on the one-third allocated for independent candidates.

The Islamist-dominated People's Assembly formed through in parliamentary elections held between November 2011 and January this year was dissolved in June by the Supreme Constitutional Court partly because the seats allocated to independents were contested by parties.

According to the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration issued last month, legislative elections should begin one month after the approval of the new constitution in a referendum. The Constituent Assembly is currently working on the new constitution.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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