No calm forecast for the People's Assembly, reports Gamal Essam El-Din May looks set to be as stormy as March and April, at least as far as the People's Assembly is concerned. Recent heated debates over 34 constitutional amendments and a new law regulating the work of military tribunals are to be followed by yet more controversial legislation, not least the amendments to the 51-year-old law governing the exercise of political rights, which will top next week's parliamentary agenda. Following amendments to article 88 of the constitution, it was inevitable that the 1956 law detailing the exercise of political rights and the conduct of elections would be revised. The NDP's influential Policies Committee, chaired by Gamal Mubarak, the 43-year-old son of President Mubarak, took charge of drafting the revisions. "The NDP wanted the drafting of this law to be the product of dialogue with opposition parties," said Gamal Mubarak. He insists that the ruling party has no desire to impose its own vision of what the law should be, on its political opponents. NDP Secretary-General Safwat El-Sherif met last week with representatives from six minor parties. President Mubarak, revealed El-Sherif, had issued instructions that the NDP sound out the views of opposition parties before drafting its amendments to the 1956 political rights law. "We wanted to reach an agreement with opposition parties on the importance of introducing new guarantees to ensure the integrity of elections," said El-Sherif. But Mahmoud Abaza and Rifaat El-Said, the leaders of the two main opposition parties Al-Wafd and Al-Tagammu, say they were not consulted on any changes. Having drawn up their own draft proposals to amend the law governing the exercise of political rights, MPs from both parties are likely to vote against the NDP draft. Al-Wafd and Al-Tagammu were adamant in their opposition to the amendment of constitutional article 88, which now stipulates that elections be held in a single day, under the supervision of a Supreme Election Commission (SEC). The shape of that Commission is now clear; it will be chaired by the head of the Cairo Appeal Court and will include the chairman of Alexandria's Appeal Court, a deputy chairman from the Court of Cassation, a deputy chairman from the State Council, three retired chairmen of the Appeal Courts, and four independent public figures with no affiliation to any political party. The People's Assembly will name four of the commission's members, with the stipulation that two should be retired judges, and the Shura Council will name three, one of whom must be a retired judge. The SEC's mandate, which lasts for three years, includes designating polling stations, preparing voting lists and setting the rules governing election campaigns. It will also investigate complaints filed by candidates. The Commission will assume full control in ensuring there are no violations of article 88, which prohibits the use of religious slogans or symbols during the campaign. Speaking before the Shura Council's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee El-Sherif heaped praise on the composition of the commission. The most important aspect about the proposed legislation, he said, is that "the election commission does not include government officials...This is very important to ensure that the commission remains impartial." In an indirect allusion to the Muslim Brotherhood, El-Sherif insisted that the amended law did not seek to penalise any specific group. "The new amendments to the 1956 political rights law truly express the spirit of the amendment of article 88 of the constitution," concluded El-Sherif, adding that "the state is quite capable of standing up to those who seek to violate the constitution." Minister of Justice Mamdouh Marie said the Commission would be strict in banning the use of religious slogans during election campaigns and "will make sure that these campaigns do not contravene the newly amended Article five of the constitution". The Commission, said Marie, will collate information about any violations, including the use of religious slogans, and then forward it to the Supreme Administrative Court for a final verdict. Moufid Shehab, minister of State for Parliamentary and Legal Affairs, pointed out that since its introduction in 1956, the law on the exercise of political rights has been amended ten times. "The amendment introduced this month represents the 11th change and aims to ensure the integrity of elections, conducted in line with international standards," said Shehab, who argued that the absence of representatives from the Justice and Interior Ministers on the Election Commission would serve to underline its independence. Such assurances carried little weight with opposition MPs. Gamal Zahran, from the leftist Al-Karama party, has little faith in either the People's Assembly or Shura Council nominating independent-minded commissioners. "In 2005 the two houses named the members of the presidential and parliamentary election commissions, all of them biased in favour of the NDP and reluctant to hear the grievances of opposition and independent candidates." Al-Tagammu MP Mohamed Abdel-Aziz Shaaban argues that the fact that the changes to the law on political rights reflect March's constitutional amendments is enough for it to be rejected by the opposition. "Despite the 1956 political rights law being repeatedly amended, parliamentary elections have always been marked by blatant fraud and rigging," said Shaaban. There is an urgent need, he continued, for a completely new political rights law that would be approved by all of the opposition forces.
