Leaders from the National Association for Change, established by Mohamed ElBaradei, agreed yesterday in Alexandria to hold a march on 3 May from Tahrir Square, Cairo, to the People’s Assembly, where they will present Fathi Sorour, speaker of the assembly, with a memorandum of the association’s demands. which include ending the emergency law and the immediate ratification of a law guaranteeing political rights in Egypt.
Sorour will also be presented with a statement expressing the association’s rejection of remarks made by MPs affiliated with the National Democratic Party which called for the shooting of demonstrators.
In related news, a large number of intellectuals issued a statement yesterday in which they described ElBaradei’s initiative as a historic opportunity to bring together Egyptian factions from across the political spectrum. Nearly 150 writers, artists and academics signed the statement, including Bahaa Taher, Sonallah Ibrahim, Alaa Aswani, Bilal Fadal, Daoud Abdel Sayid, Yusri Nasrallah and Ali Badurkhan.
The intellectuals criticized current conditions in Egypt which they said were uniformly deteriorating, despite the fact that Egypt possesses resources and capabilities that should guarantee it a prominent position among modern nations. They highlighted political reform as the key to begin treating Egypt’s degeneration.
For his part, ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account that “democracy is the core of a program of change and the only entry-way for Egyptians towards a free and dignified life.”
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
