In the wake of the parliamentary elections the opposition is being forced to review its tactics, reports Mohamed Abdel-Baky Opposition protests in Cairo against the results of the People's Assembly elections continue to escalate. After being "excluded from the People's Assembly and Shura Council in unfair elections" -- the words are former MP Gamal Zahran's -- protesters have mooted a number of alternatives to maintain their political profiles. The first emerged on Monday when a group of former MPs said they would form a shadow, or a parallel people's parliament. The announcement came in response to what the opposition called blatant and widespread rigging of the poll which allowed the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) to win 86 per cent of assembly seats. Former MP Saad Aboud told Al Ahram Weekly that "we do not recognise the new parliament, elected in an illegitimate and unfair election, and will create our own People's Assembly." The demonstration to announce the shadow parliament was held in front of the State Council in an attempt to underline how the government had ignored a series of court rulings ordering a halt to the poll in 90 constituencies. "The government defied the judiciary by ignoring these court verdicts," said Aboud. During the demonstration former MPs swore the same oath that is taken by members of the People's Assembly. The new shadow parliament will consist of 118 former MPs who ran, and lost, in the 28 November election and is expected to be joined by a number of opposition figures. How it will operate, though, remains as unclear as its efficacy. Tellingly, Zahran said details would be announced "in a few weeks", following meetings with other political groups. "The parallel parliament will monitor the government and current parliament, both of which are controlled by the NDP. It will debate legislation and propose alternatives, alerting public opinion to what the regime is doing," Zahran told the Weekly. Several political groups, including the liberal Wafd Party, the Karama Party, Kifaya and the 6 April Youth Movement, have signalled their willingness to participate in the shadow parliament. The National Assembly for Change (NAC) and the Muslim Brotherhood have yet to announce their positions. NAC coordinator Abdel-Gelil Mustafa says the NAC is discussing the idea and is unlikely to reach a decision before next week. He added that NAC is in solidarity with all opposition groups' demands but it is not yet convinced its participation in a shadow parliament would be effective. The Muslim Brotherhood also remains unsure. According to former MP Saad Al-Katatni, the group is still studying the idea, though it believes the first priority is for opposition groups to focus their efforts on pursuing the Egyptian government in the courts in order to have the election results declared null and void. El-Katatni advised former MPs to examine the idea of the shadow parliament more thoroughly "and figure out how it will operate in the future". A day before the parallel parliament was announced 2,000 activists and opposition party members held a demonstration in front of the Court of Cassation. The demonstration marked Kifaya's sixth anniversary and attracted hundreds of protesters from opposition parties and groups who chanted the slogan "parliament is void". Former MPs from most opposition parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Wafd, Ghad, Tagammu and the as yet licensed Karama, participated alongside the NAC, the 6 April Movement and Hashd leftist movement. The Wafd and Tagammu parties have taken part in very few demonstrations since 2005. "We can't take this anymore. It makes no sense to deal with a regime that doesn't want politics," said Mohamed Sherdi, a Wafd candidate who withdraw before the runoff poll. "Now it is up to the public to move." After being out of the country for several months Mohamed El-Baradei, ex-chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, returned to the political scene last week, posting a You Tube video urging the Egyptian people not to "remain silent over what happened during the parliamentary elections". El-Baradei called on Egypt's intellectuals to put aside their differences and seize the moment to push much-needed historical change. "You are not investing in your future," he warned. "You are investing in the end of what you have." On Saturday El-Baradei paid a visit to Minya governorate where he said "divided" opposition groups do not pose a serious enough challenge to the ruling party. He was pushing, he added, to unify the opposition to build enough numbers for successful pro- reform protests. He called upon Wafd Party leaders to join the reform movement. During his visit to Minya, El-Baradei announced that Muslim Brotherhood and Democratic Front offices in several governorates would be open for the NAC to use in spreading its "message of change".
