The Freedom and Justice Party and the Nour Party accused Interior Ministry officials of siding with presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq on Monday.
An FJP MP, Mohamed Emad Eddin, said that it was clear from the beginning that there is a deal between the military council and the Interior Ministry to back Shafiq, confirmed by the participation of prominent security leaders in his rallies.
A large number of Interior Ministry leaders and officers from the National Security Agency secure Shafiq’s rallies, while security was completely absent from massive popular events organized by Islamist candidates, Nour Party spokesperson Yousry Hammad said.
Nour Party representatives will be inside polling stations on Wednesday and Thursday during the election, he said. He added that the party established a committee to follow the vote and to confront any attempts to rig the elections at the expense of the candidate the party has endorsed, Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh.
The Nour Party will bring millions of its supporters to back Abouel Fotouh, he said, adding that the party asked its members to commit to the campaign silence period, especially outside polling stations. The party’s legal committee was tasked with detecting violations by rival candidates and reporting them to the Presidential Elections Commission.
The FJP’s legal advisor, Ahmed Abu Baraka, said party members have complied with the party’s call to adhere to the campaign silence period.
The law bans holding events, but campaigning in cafes, transportation, and private houses does not come under the ban, Baraka said, confirming that the party will campaign on election day.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
