Egypt's centre-left Constitution Party is set to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, member of the high board Khaled Dawoud told Ahram Online.
Dawoud said that the party’s secretary general Tamer Gomaa held a vote among the party members in which the majority voted ‘yes’ to participation in the upcoming elections.
The party had announced in February that it would boycott the parliamentary elections for several reasons, including the detention of revolutionary figures and the death of activist Shaimaa El-Sabagh, who was killed in January 2014 by security forces while taking part in a peaceful march commemorating the fourth anniversary of the 2011 uprising.
"The situation has changed. The killer of the young activist has been sentenced to 15 years in jail, yet our young revolutionary figures such as Ahmed Maher, Mohamed Douma, and the Ittihadeya girls are still in jail," says Dawoud.
Dawoud added that not all party members are satisfied with the decision to participate in the elections and that this will result in more 'splits' inside the party.
"Since the resignation [in July] of Hala Shukralla, the former party head, members have been hesitant to take part in the elections. However, following the party's official announcement to participate, many members in Alexandria, Beni Suef, and some other 200 youth have announced that they are still boycotting the elections," Dawoud told Ahram Online.
Dawoud said that the party will join Egypt's election list (Sahwet Misr), which includes many leftist parties such as the Egyptian Social and Democratic party.
The high commission member expressed to Ahram Online that political parties in the scene are currently facing real challenges and pressures.
Founded by opposition figure Mohamed El-Baradei in 2012, the Constitution Party has seen a number of disagreements over the elections, such as the timing of internal elections, who should be eligible to vote and to run, and whether the party will participate in the parliamentary elections that are due to take place starting next month.
Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/139922/Egypt/Politics-/Egyp...
