The National Salvation Front (NSF) believes the delay in holding parliamentary elections caused by the Administrative Court's referral of the election law to the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) opens a window of opportunity to pressure President Mohamed Morsi to compromise on a number of major constitutional issues. NSF leaders say they are also confident the delay can be used to put in place the provisions that will allow them to end their boycott and participate in parliamentary elections. “Everyone benefits from the suspension of the parliamentary elections. It makes many things possible, and lots of them are encouraging,” says Amr Hamzawy, NSF member and professor of political science at Cairo University. Hamzawy described the court's ruling as a “gift from the sky”. On 6 March the Administrative Court pulled the rug from beneath a presidential decree declaring elections would begin on 22 April by ruling that the SCC must first assess the constitutionality of Shura Council amendments to the election law. The Supreme Elections Committee (SEC) convened the following day and cancelled the four-round ballot that was scheduled to end in June. The delay, says Hamzawy, should be used by the president to reach a compromise with opposition parties and thus rescue the country from an otherwise inevitable crisis. “Egypt faces a serious political, economic and security situation. The chaos through which the country is passing could not have come at a worse time. The optimism that accompanied the toppling of Hosni Mubarak is well and truly over. The regime must act positively and swiftly in order to save the country,” says Hamzawy. The NSF had previously announced it would boycott the elections after Morsi failed to meet their minimum demands which included a cabinet reshuffle that would ensure an impartial national salvation cabinet was in place to supervise the ballot. They had demanded the dismissal of Morsi-appointee Talaat Abdallah as prosecutor-general and a delay in the poll to allow an electoral law to be formulated that guarantees a free and fair ballot. They had also asked for more national and international monitors to observe the vote and a revision of recent boundary changes which they said were rushed through solely to enhance the Freedom and Justice Party's chances. The NSF has hailed the decision of several of its member groups to merge and form a stronger front to face Islamists when parliamentary elections are conducted. “Liberal and leftist parties which are members of the NSF will form two solid fronts to contest parliamentary elections. This will avoid any fragmentation of the non-Islamist vote,” argues Hamzawy. Members of the NSF have also made public their intention to launch a satellite channel through which they will put their economic, social and political policies to the public. In the face of this optimism independent NSF member Wahid Abdel-Meguid sounds a note of caution. The NSF's final position, he says, will depend on the SCC's ruling on the constitutionality of the election law and the president's response to opposition parties' demands. “We cannot deceive people by participating in elections the results of which are known in advance. Ordinary people realise the Islamists will try to forge the results of the parliamentary elections if the election law does not change,” he said. “Morsi must display the political will to engage in meaningful dialogue with the opposition. He must prove his good intentions by giving them sufficient say in the formation of any new government.” Mustafa Al-Sayed, professor of political science at the American University in Cairo (AUC), doubts this will happen. “Unfortunately Morsi is not ruling the country alone, others are doing it with him and for him.” Opposition parties, says Al-Sayed, will take part in elections as long as an election law agreed upon by all political parties is in place. Not taking part, he adds, would be tantamount to handing the country to the Islamists on a golden plate. “Yes, they should participate in the elections if they want to be taken into consideration,” he argues. “By the same token Morsi and his government should guarantee a transparent election process.” Al-Sayed believes that Morsi is being pressed by Washington to change his tactics and that US Secretary of State John Kerry made it clear during his visit to Cairo at the beginning of this month that consensus is essential to secure a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.
