The Salafi-oriented Nour Party has decided to participate in the House of Representatives elections in April amid calls for boycott, but added that the government must ensure that the elections are free and fair.
Nader Bakkar, official spokesperson for the party, had said earlier that his party had reservations on the date of the election, adding that the date of election should have been set consensually with the diverse political powers.
In a press conference aired live on Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr, senior Nour Party official Bassam al-Zarqa said that there is a need for "clear and sufficient guarantees for the integrity and transparency of the election”, saying this requires certain ministries administrative bodies and crews assisting judges to be neutral.
Zarqa added that Nour Party will only form alliances with parties that have the same Islamic frame of reference.
"The door is open for electoral alliances and there are communications in this regard,” he said. “The electoral alliance must conform to the principles of Islamic Sharia.”
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy on Monday had called for a meeting with the country's opposition to discuss upcoming legislative polls, amid calls for a boycott.
"I call on all the brothers in the different parties in all of Egypt to come … so we can sit and put in the place the guarantees for the transparency and fairness of the elections," Morsy said in an interview on private satellite channel Al-Mehwar.
The Nour Party, established after the 25 January revolution, won the second most seats in parliamentary elections held at the end of 2011 after the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party.
Morsy moved the House of Representatives elections forward Thursday to 22 April after Coptic Christians said that the original dates conflicted with Christian holidays, including Easter. The house is expected to hold its first session on 2 July.
