The first confrontation broke out yesterday between the front led by Sameh Ashour, the candidate to the post of Head of the Bar Association, and the candidates of the Sharia Committee, which is under Muslim Brotherhood (MB) lawyers. The confrontation was sparked by the declarations of Mohamed Toson, the man in charge of the file of MB lawyers at the Association, at the press conference held by the committee yesterday. Toson affirmed that South Cairo Court passed its ruling to avoid the "anger day" being organized yesterday by the Sharia Committee candidates to call for the elections. Toson affirmed that the ruling regime cannot be shaken by weak actions, but by strong pressures capable of drawing people's attention. He said the preparations for the "anger day" prompted the court to pass its ruling and therefore start the process of filing candidatures. The candidate belonging to Sameh Ashur's list, Said Abdel Khalek, strongly rejected these declarations and deplored the fact that MB lawyers ignored the efforts of their colleagues. He said these colleagues staged sits-in and protests against hampering the elections. Sameh Ashour told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the real confrontation started ten days ago and not yesterday. "MB lawyers cannot say such things after the ruling was passed, as they have no evidence" Ashour said, pointing out that the Bar Association is not one of their top priorities. At the conference, Toson had thanked all lawyers who had contributed to putting an end to the crisis with their efforts. He affirmed that MB lawyers met with the president of South Cairo Court to call on him to start the process of filing nominations, issued a statement against hampering the elections, distributed posters in all courts nationwide and prepared the anger day. Ashour, though, said that all lawyers, and not only MB ones, had agreed to go to the court, protest and reject surveillance. Toson announced that the Sharia Committee's stance on the candidate to the post of Head of the Bar Association has not changed. He also affirmed the MB has no candidate and that any change in the group's list – if any - would be slight. Sharia Committee candidate Gamal Tagg Eddin said that MB lawyers would take part in the electoral race. "We will not make the same mistake twice and South Cairo Court must announce measures to guarantee fair elections" he said. Said el-Far, the man in charge of the lawyers' file at the National Democratic Party (NDP), is going to hold a press conference today to announce the party's stance on the current crisis and what NDP lawyers will do in the near future. Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, he refused the accusations leveled at the party of hampering the Bar Association elections.
