Wasat Party MP Essam Sultan submitted an urgent message to People's Assembly speaker Saad al-Katatny requesting that he hold an emergency session on Saturday to discuss “endeavors to rig the presidential election” for former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq.
The election is scheduled to take place next week on 23 and 24 May. Parliament has suspended sessions until 27 May due to the election.
On his Facebook page, Sultan accused the Interior Ministry of adding a large number of deceased people and police and army officers to the voter’s list in preparation for rigging on the days of the election. Sultan cited some of the officers’ names.
Sultan claimed that state media outlets show Shafiq as a national hero, overlooking his crimes regarding squandering public money, oversight of the Battle of the Camel and money smuggling by former regime figures during his tenure as prime minister.
Sultan also accused the Cabinet-affiliated Information and Decision Support Center of releasing fake polling results that say Shafiq is the frontrunner. The IDSC’s latest poll has Shafiq leading the field.
State prosecutors are currently looking into a report Sultan filed that accuses Shafiq of selling land owned by young pilots to former President Mubarak’s sons for below-market prices.
Sultan submitted a bill to Parliament that was passed and approved by the military council that would prevent certain former regime officials from holding public office until the ten year anniversary of Mubarak’s ouster.
