The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP)'s response to recommendations submitted by an opposition coalition for the establishment of mechanisms aimed at ensuring fair parliamentary elections drew varying reactions on Thursday. The coalition--comprised of the Wafd, Gabha, Nasserite and Tagammu opposition parties--had earlier proposed that upcoming parliamentary elections slated for November be based on a proportional list system. The NDP, however, insists on employing a system based on individual candidacy. The NDP maintains that the presence of members of the judiciary in official electoral committees guarantees a fair electoral process. Opposition party spokesmen described the ruling party's response to the recommendations as a “polite refusal.” “The NDP doesn't want to cooperate with us,” said Tagammu Party spokesman Nabil Zaki. “We plan to meet on Saturday to decide on our final stance vis-a-vis the elections.” Wafd Party member Alaa Abdel Moneim said he had expected the ruling party to reject the recommendations. “In any event, we did our job,” he said. “The NDP alone runs elections,” said independent MP Hamdin Sabahi. “It inevitably discards any suggestions made by the opposition." According to Hassan Nafea, coordinator of the pro-reform National Association for Change, the ruling party effectively "slapped the coalition in the face” by rejecting its proposals out of hand. “The opposition should boycott the elections," he said. Meanwhile, Mohamed Morsi, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood opposition movement--which is not a part of the coalition--said the group had not participated in the preparation of the electoral recommendations. The ruling party, for its part, has requested that legal opposition parties clearly state their positions regarding the use of religious-oriented campaign slogans in electoral campaigns. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
