The Egyptian government's recent amendments of three laws necessary to pave the way for the country's long-delayed parliamentary elections have left opposition political parties in tatters
On Sunday, a meeting aimed at unifying positions over Egypt's election laws instead revealed divisions among the parties to form part of the opposition in any upcoming parliament.
An Egyptian journalist was arrested early on Saturday from his home in the Nile Delta city of Behiera, his brother said.
Mahmoud Qaoud said police took his brother Ahmed, who works for the daily El-Dostour, and confiscated three laptops and three mobile phones.
Head of the freedoms committee at the press syndicate Khaled El-Belshy confirmed receiving a complaint from the journalist’s brother and said he would look into the needed procedures.
Ahmed is accused of participating in an illegal protest on Friday and joining the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
In a surprise meeting, miles away from Cairo, hundreds of Wafd Party members agreed to withdraw confidence from party head El-Sayed El-Badawi, prompting him to freeze the membership of some of the masterminds behind the move, signaling an open dispute between the dissident members and the leader of Egypt’s oldest political party.
A foiled ‘coup’
Nine political parties in Egypt launched on Sunday an initiative to draft a new parliamentary elections law in order to present it to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, instead of the amended current law handed over by the cabinet.
The parties also announced that they were holding a three-day workshop in order to draft the parliamentary elections law that would include their suggestions which were ignored by the government, according to their statement.
The Egyptian cabinet’s drafting committee on Monday finished amending laws regulating parliamentary elections, Transitional Justice Minister Ibrahim El-Heneidy has said.
Amendments to the Parliamentary Elections Law and the Law of the Exercise of Political Rights were minimal, committee member Ali Awad said.
The Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) ruled parts of the laws unconstitutional on 1 March, hence postponing long-delayed parliamentary elections originally scheduled for late March.
In a rare talk, Egypt’s ousted president Hosni Mubarak said on Sunday that there are "fateful decisions" that need to be taken by current president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and that Egyptians should stand behind him.
Mubarak, who was ousted on 11 Feburary 2011 following an 18-day uprising, spoke briefly on the phone with TV host Ahmed Moussa on Sada El-Balad private TV channel in commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the liberation of Sinai.
Mubarak reiterated that the army, headed by President Sisi, clearly "understands the sanctity of the national territory".
Egypt's president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Monday said that the country would take two years to "get back on its feet", during Labour Day celebrations at Cairo's Police Academy.
Egyptians should tell families, colleagues and neighbours to be patient and give the government two years to show positive results, he said.
The president added that every citizen should help the government to combat terrorism.
He said that efforts were ongoing to set minimum and maximum wages in Egypt.
Egypt’s long-awaited parliamentary election will not be held until after Ramadan due to technical and security issues, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ibrahim El-Heneidy has said.
"We are back to square one again and I do not expect the poll to be held anytime soon ahead of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan [which is scheduled to begin on 18 June]," Heneidy told reporters on Wednesday.
Egypt's ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for inciting a show of force and violence, arresting protesters and physically abusing them, outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace in December 2012.
However, Morsi and all other 14 defendants in the case were acquitted of committing premeditated murder and possessing weapons.
This is the first verdict issued against Morsi since his ouster in July 2013.
The long-awaited re-amendment of the electoral constituencies law, the last obstacle in the way of Egypt's long-delayed parliamentary polls, was approved by the cabinet on 14 April.
Minister of parliamentary affairs, Ibrahim El-Heneidi, told reporters that he has high hopes that the re-amendment of the law, alongside another two legislations on the house of representatives and the exercise of political rights, will not contradict the new constitution and finally pave the way for the country's long-awaited parliamentary elections.
With the Cabinet’s approval of a legislative package that will govern the long-delayed parliamentary elections, ongoing debate as to the arguable constitutionality of these bills has some questioning if there is real political will to seat a new parliament.
After a brief discussion, Egypt's cabinet in a plenary meeting on Wednesday approved in concept amendments for two election laws necessary to move the country's long-awaited parliamentary elections forward. The two laws are on the workings of the House of Representatives, or Egypt's lower house parliament, and the Division of Electoral Constituencies.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Ibrahim El-Heneidy told reporters that Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab met in person with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to review the main amendments of the two laws.
The Cabinet approved three bills on Wednesday that could allow the often-postponed parliamentary elections to finally take place. Ministers sent the draft laws to the State Council for review before they’re put to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for final approval.
The bills include the Political Participation Law, the Parliamentary Elections Law and the Electoral Constituency Law.
The head of Egypt’s the liberal Wafd Party has criticised the prime minister’s meetings with political parties on the country's electoral laws, describing them as “useless.”
Ibrahim Mahlab has held a series of meetings this month with political parties and public figures to discuss amendments to Egypt's electoral laws, paving the way for Egypt’s long-delayed parliamentary elections.
Fourteen men, including Muslim Brotherhood leaders, were sentenced to death on Saturday, for setting up an "operation room" at the protest camp that supported ousted president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo's Rabaa Al-Adawiya area in the summer of 2013, among other charges.
Brotherhood supreme guide Mohamed Badie, the son of leading member and businessman Hassan Malek, Omar, as well as leading member Saad El-Hoseiny are among those who received the capital punishment.
Former Brotherhood spokesperson Mahmoud Ghozlan and leading member Saad Emara were sentenced to death in absentia.
A government-appointed committee in charge of amending two laws necessary to pave the way for Egypt's long-delayed parliamentary elections is to meet on Sunday, minister of state for parliamentary affairs and transitional justice IbrahimEl-Heneidy told reporters on Saturday.
According to El-Heneidy, the meeting will be the first after prime-minister Ibrahim Mahlab held three "national dialogue" hearings with representatives of Egypt's mainstream political parties between 2 and 9 April.
Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab has rejected claims the state is promoting candidates or groups ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election.
"The government swore an oath not to talk to anyone about the election and hasn't asked anyone to nominate themselves or backed anyone, this is a definitive decision," he said in comments reported by state news agency MENA.
The first stage of Egypt's parliamentary elections could begin before the middle of June, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Transitional Justice Ibrahim El-Heneidy said on Monday.
The elections were due to begin on 21 March but were postponed after a court ruling found the electoral constituencies law to be unconstitutional. The elections would be the first parliamentary polls since the 2013 ouster of president Mohamed Morsi.
