Nearly 60 Egyptian political parties and coalitions threatened Wednesday to boycott parliamentary elections scheduled to begin 28 November.
The parties demanded the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) activate the 1952 Treason Law and change the parliamentary electoral system to be based entirely on party lists.
The SCAF announced Tuesday that two-thirds of the new parliament would be elected through a list-based system while the remaining third would be chosen in single-winner elections. The changes prevent candidates who appear on party election slates from also running independently.
The majority of political groups have been pressing the SCAF to solely apply the list-based system and cancel all individual nominations.
In a single-winner system, a voter casts a ballot for a specific candidate in his or her district and the candidate with the most votes wins election. Under list-based systems, the voter casts a ballot for a party or coalition of parties that has put forth a list of candidates – the number of candidates elected from each list is proportional to the votes the parties receive. The latter system is generally praised for its ability to ensure the representation of women and ethnic and religious minorities.
On 17 August, the cabinet approved an amended version of the Treason Law, which was originally applied following the 1952 revolution. It submitted the amended law to the SCAF for approval, but the ruling military council has not yet taken any action on the legislation.
The Treason Law imposes penalties on ministers, members of parliament and public servants convicted of corruption or abuse of power.
The parties and coalitions – including the Democratic Coalition and the Egyptian Bloc – released a joint statement on Wednesday saying they had agreed to submit their demands to the SCAF. Following a meeting of representatives of the political parties, the secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Saad al-Katatny, told reporters that the groups would meet again on Sunday to discuss the SCAF's response to their requests.
The statement also expressed surprise at the SCAF’s failure to cancel individual nominations, adding that the council had not consulted with political groups for feedback on the new amendments.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
