Fearing electoral fraud by the government, Egyptian opposition groups on Sunday called for upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections to be overseen by international observers. The call was made by Egyptians for Free and Fair Elections (EFFE), a coalition of opposition forces demanding political and legislative changes aimed at ensuring the electoral integrity of parliamentary and presidential elections. The recently-established group includes the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition movement, along with smaller political entities such as the Egyptian Movement for Change (Kifaya) and the Nasserist-leaning Karama Party. EFFE also includes prominent public figures, such as ex-Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and television screenplay writer Osama Anwar Okasha. “We do not seek support from foreigners," Muslim Brotherhood MP Hamdy Hassan said at an EFFE press conference. "We just want impartial observation of elections.” In the past, the regime has often used accusations of foreign -- especially western -- backing to undermine the popular legitimacy of opposition groups. According to veteran constitutional expert and EFFE member Yehia el-Gamal, international oversight of elections “does not constitute a breach of Egypt's sovereignty.”
In Arabic-language statements, the EFFE refrained from specifying which international organization should be mandated with supervising parliamentary elections next year and presidential elections in 2011. English versions of the statements, however, call for EU foreign-policy czar Javier Solana and EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner to request Egyptian permission for "an international delegation" mandated with "monitoring Egypt's upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.” The EFFE goes on to describe the EU as “a neutral and professional entity with long years of experience in monitoring elections and applying the international criteria and guarantees related to free and fair elections.” In January 2008 however, the EU -- the Egyptian government's largest trading partner -- came under fire by rights groups after its rejection of a non-binding European Parliament resolution criticizing Egypt's human rights record.
Opposition groups also fear that a 2007 constitutional amendment allowing only "limited" judiciary supervision could further hinder fair elections and lead to a landslide victory by the ruling National Democratic Party. Local and international rights groups have often complained of widespread government-orchestrated electoral fraud in past elections. “We want new voters' lists based on the national ID cards to ensure that the government won't make duplications or allow the dead to vote,” George Ishaq, leading member of the Kifaya movement, said at the press conference. Ishaq also called for the abolition of the state of emergency, in effect since 1981. “The Emergency Law gives almost absolute power to security bodies to carry out arbitrary detentions, pursue political activists and restrict freedoms of organization and expression.” The 2010 parliamentary elections will be particularly important in terms of determining who will be eligible to run for the presidency the following year. Speculation has been rife that President Hosni Mubarak, who will soon turn 82 years old, is grooming his younger son, Gamal, 46, for the post. “We will confront all attempts by the regime to use cosmetic elections to realize its objective political inheritance,” said Karama Party-affiliated MP Saad Aboud.
According to Article 76 of the Egyptian constitution, a presidential candidate must be a high-ranking member of an official political party with at least one sitting member of parliament. Independent candidates, or those affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, must receive the endorsement of 250 elected members of Egypt's representative bodies -- a condition that most observers say is impossible.
