The Revolution Youth Coalition (RYC) on Wednesday announced it would participate in upcoming parliamentary elections. In apress conference held at the Syndicate of Journalists in Cairo, the coalition said it had a list of 200 candidates that covers all Egyptian governorates. The coalition also called for the creation of an electoral coalition of revolutionaries to fight members of the old regime who are trying to stay in power in post-Mubarak Egypt. Independent candidates are encouraged to join the coalition in order to stand against members of the old regime. RYC representatives also said they oppose the new elections law, and want to cancel the 50 per cent seat allocation for farmers and workers in parliament. Thespeakersadded thatif all the Egyptian political parties decided to boycott the parliamentary elections to reject the law, the RYC would join them. They also called for the abolition of the Upper House of Parliament, and rejected plans to create temporary local councils by appointing new members instead of electing them. During the press conference the coalition also demanded that the government stipulates the exact role of the new parliament, verifies its exact powers, and gives it executive powers. They also suggested new presidential elections should be held by April 2012 and that the exact powers of the new president be announced to the public. The coalition also called for the cancellation of all laws that restrict freedom of speech and to make a new constitutional declaration that includes all the above demands. The coalition announced it is still working out how to fund its parliamentary election campaign across the country. The coalition has not yet named any of the candidates. The Revolution Youth Coalition is made up of youth activists representing different political powers and parties who called for the January 25 Revolution, including Muslim Brotherhood youth, Democratic Front Party, 6 April Youth Movement,JusticeandFreedom leftist movement,along with a group of independent youth.
