Mubarak promises integrity in upcoming elections‏

Mubarak promises integrity in upcoming elections‏

 

Egypt‘s President, Mubarak, has promised integrity in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in November.

The avowal took place following the announcement made by various political opposition trends to boycott the elections, accusing the government of manipulating poll results. The boycott decision comes in response to former IAEA chief, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei’s, call to steer clear from elections.

According to the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), an oversight committee led by selected judges has been appointed and the regulations and procedures for the participation of civil society organizations in monitoring the voting process, have been set.

 

The country’s biggest, most popular and influential opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, has announced that it may participate in the elections since the opposition groups have not reached a consensus concerning the boycott.

 

The group had secured 88 seats, nearly a fifth of the seats in the People’s Assembly, five years ago in the last parliamentary elections and the numerous declarations by NDP officials indicate that the regime will not allow a re-run of the winnings.

 

The Security apparatus began their harassments early, arresting 9 members from the group in an attempt to intimidate candidates and supporters of the group. According to the Rights groups, such arrests are politically motivated as they frequently occur around the time of elections.

 

Analysts describe the upcoming parliamentary elections as an indication of how next year’s presidential elections will unravel. Observers ascertain that most likely the NDP, which counts the president’s 47 year old son Gamal as one of its top officials, will maintain its grip over parliament in the elections.