Parliamentary Speaker Fathi Sorour said he does not need to participate in any electoral campaigns before the upcoming Egyptian parliamentary elections, as he has been serving his parliamentary constituency for the past 20 years. He said he is available 24 hours a day to his constituents. While filing his application to run for parliament as a representive of the Sayeda Zainab district, Sorour told Al-Masry Al-Youm that he is “not like some of the other candidates who only show up in their respective constituency days before the elections.” According to Sorour, such candidates “resemble a dim-witted student who only starts to study two days before an exam.” Surour explained that the NDP has laid the groundwork for the selection process of candidates for November's parliamentary poll, allowing him to continue in his job with no distractions. According to Sorour, the NDP's new selection system should prevent patronage as electoral colleges will put forward the names of candidates who will then be selected by party leaders. The party's steering committee will make the final decision. Sorour described the new system as groundbreaking and said it is the first time in the history of Egyptian political parties that candidates will be selected using this method. He said opinion polls indicating citizens' needs will also be taken into consideration, and the new system will ensure a wider base of political participation for party members. Sorour submitted his application to run for parliament yesterday at the election office of the NDP's General Secretariat headquarters. Yesterday was the first day for accepting applications. The other NDP candidates in Cairo's Sayeda Zeinab constituency who are running for the “worker's” seat did not begin their applications until Sorour completed his paperwork. Translated from the Arabic edition.
