ANTI-COUP ALLIANCE BOYCOTTS EGYPT POLLS
Cairo, 2 Jumadil Akhir 1435/2 April 2014 (MINA) – Egypt’s Anti-Coup Alliance Tuesday annonced it will boycott the upcoming presidential election in the country.
The coalition, which includes the Muslim Brotherhood, said the decision was made on the ground of what it calls illegitimate ouster of Mohamed Morsi, the first democratically elected president of Egypt who was overthrown in July 2013.
Magdi Qorqor, a spokesman for the alliance, has said the coalition opposes the election since the polls are the result of an “illegal political process,” Press TV reported as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).
Egypt’s presidential elections will take place on May 26 and 27, Egyptian media reported Sunday, citing an announcement by the country’s Presidential Elections Commission.
Army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced Wednesday that he would resign and declared his candidacy in the national polls. El-Sisi, 59, Egypt’s defense minister, had to leave the army in order to run for president.
El-Sisi deposed President Mohamed Morsy of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s first freely elected leader, last year following mass protests against the latter’s rule.
The officer is popular among Egyptians who supported the army’s decision to remove Morsy from power a year into his term — seeing el-Sisi as the kind of strong man needed to end the turmoil dogging Egypt since a popular uprising in 2011 ended Hosni Mubarak’s three decades of one-man rule.
The election “is built on a wrong foundation, namely the July 3 coup,” Qorqor added.
On March 30, Egypt’s electoral commission announced that the first round of the presidential poll is scheduled for May 26-27 with results expected by June 5.
Last week, the country’s former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the overthrow of Morsi, announced his resignation as defense minister in order to run for presidency.
The only other main candidate is leftwing politician Hamdeen Sabbahi, who came third in the 2012 election that Morsi won.
Egypt has become the scene of violent demonstrations in protest against Sisi’s new decision.
State institutions and media are all geared toward Sisi’s candidacy, a situation which undermines the chances of a fair competition for any other candidate.
Political parties and figures have repeatedly called on the army to stay out of politics.
Sisi is accused of leading a severe crackdown against supporters of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Amnesty International says 1,400 people have been killed in the political violence since Morsi’s ouster. (T/P04/P03)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
