FJP: New Electoral Law Threatens Democracy

FJP: New Electoral Law Threatens Democracy

 In a press release Thursday, the  Freedom and Justice Party(FJP)  slammed the new electoral law amended by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), saying it does not lead the country to genuine democracy, and does not respond to the calls by the Democratic Alliance to adopt a closed party-list proportional representation in the upcoming elections to prevent remnants of the old regime and corrupt businessmen from infiltrating voters. 

The FJP stressed that while it appreciates the SCAF’s attempts to endorse a law which is designed to regulate the electoral process for the elections of the People’s Assembly and the Shura Council, where it stipulates changes such as candidates’ minimum age for standing as a member of the Lower House has been reduced from 30 to 25 to give youth better chances, and the minimum age for the Shura Council elections set at 35, there still remains changes it does not support.

According to the FJP, some provisions of the law passed and particularly the mechanism of the party-list list and the individual candidacy systems of 50% each were not welcomed. Furthermore both the Democratic Alliance and the Freedom and Justice party believe that the individual candidacy process should be scrapped and the closed party-list system adopted entirely. It stressed that by eliminating individual candidacy, it hoped to prevent remnants of the former regime from using their financial power and bribing their way through the PA as independents similar to elections held before the revolution.

Describing popular consensus as the most significant element to achieving democracy in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party stressed cooperation between parties and with the SCAF was imperative during this transitional period which the country is currently experiencing.