Safwat al-Sherif, secretary-general of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), reiterated on Wednesday his party's agreement with recommendations submitted by various opposition parties for mechanisms aimed at ensuring fair parliamentary elections. Elections for seats in Egypt's People's Assembly are scheduled to be held in November. “We have considered these suggestions for the Law on Political Rights, which resulted in the formation of the Supreme Committee for Elections,” al-Sherif said. “The committee will work with full autonomy and will provide equal opportunity to all parties to present their programs on state-owned and private media.” “It will also allow civil society organizations to closely follow the elections," he added. Al-Sherif went on to call on NDP parliamentary candidates to refrain from campaigning before the official, agreed-upon starting date. The secretary-general also defended his party from recent criticisms of the NDP made in the local media. “It's time for the losers to stop attacking the NDP,” he said, adding that some recent media claims were both "unethical and unlawful." Al-Sherif had earlier met with Refaat al-Saeed, president of the opposition Tagammu Party, who had submitted a number of recommendations aimed at ensuring the integrity of upcoming elections. “The NDP accepted some of our suggestions and rejected others,” al-Saeed said following the meeting. “But we will continue to pressure the government with our demands for fair elections.” Translated from the Arabic Edition.
