The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) has nominated 10 Coptic candidates for its 28 November parliamentary election slate, according to party sources. The NDP previously announced it selected more than 800 party members to vie for parliament's 508 contestable seats. Sixty-four of those seats are reserved for female policy-makers. Minister of Finance Youseff Botros Ghaly, several businessmen and one woman are among the Coptic candidates. The Coptic community in Alexandria, however, criticized the NDP electoral college for disregarding candidates officially put forth by the Coptic Church. Moreover, Coptic sources complained the NDP selected Coptic candidates for districts hosting NDP competition, permitting the Copts a slimmer window for victory. President Hosni Mubarak, in previous polls, exercised his constitutional authority to appoint Coptic politicians in order to compensate for their weak representation in parliament. Wafd party has selected several Copts in its 200 candidate slate, one of which will vie for the party's secretary general post.
