Islamist presidential hopeful Mohamed Selim al-Awa on Friday called for conducting parliamentary elections in September. At a forum organized by Smouha Sporting Club in Alexandria, Awa suggested that electoral campaigns begin in mid-August. Egypt's parliamentary elections are currently scheduled for November, though originally they were planned for September. Candidate nominations will open up in October. Awa's call for holding the elections earlier comes after mass protests staged by Islamist powers in Tahrir Square Friday that rejected secularist and liberal calls to draft the postpone the parliamentary vote and draft the constitution before elections. Expediting the elections is intended to end the transitional period in which the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) holds power, Awa said. He said he appreciates the SCAF for supporting the 25 January revolution and for the decisions it made to satisfy the demands of the revolution. Awa also said popular will was manifest in the rallies staged on Friday around Egypt. The Islamic state is the origin of the civil state in which the people rule, he said. There is no absolute religious state, he added. He called for a democratic state and described Egypt as a country for Muslims and Copts to live side by side. All citizens have a right to free expression and protest, regardless of their religious or political affiliations, Awa said. Translated from the Arabic Edition
