The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) opposition movement has agreed to send representatives to an upcoming forum for opponents of presidential inheritance.
“We will not allow the bequeathal of the presidency from father to son,” said leading MB member Farid Ismail. “The regime knows very well that the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections will be rigged in its favor.”
Ismail went on to stress that the decision to attend the event, called for by Al-Ghad Party founder Ayman Nour, did not come as retaliation for the many recent arrests of MB members. Rather, he said, opposition forces from across the political spectrum had the right and responsibility to “work for the public interest and for democracy.”
According to Abdel Aziz el-Nahas, media consultant for the liberal Al-Wafd Party, party head Mahmoud Abaza would decide on whether to attend the forum upon his return to Egypt from London.
Others to have received invitations to attend the event include prominent political commentator Muhammad Hassanein Heikal, Al-Karama Party founder Muhammad Bayoumi and Nasserist Party President Ahmed Hassan.
According to Nour, the forum was part of a “broader initiative against presidential inheritance” led by pro-democracy opposition groups such as the Kefaya movement and the Coalition for Change.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
