CAIRO: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and its coalition of Islamic political groups are threatening a boycott of Novmeber's parliamentary elections if former ruling party members are allowed to contest the polls. They argue that ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) must amend the election law in order to ensure former members of the National Democratic Party (NDP) are barred from entering the race. The groups posted a joint statement on Wednesday on the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party calling for the changes in order to make certain the elections would be free and fair. The bloc objects to a controversial measure under which political parties are not allowed to contest a third of the seats in parliament, which are reserved for independent candidates. The groups, which also include the liberal al-Wafd Party, are calling for an end to the law that bars political parties from contesting one-third of all seats and giving them to independent candidates, which many believe opens the doors for former NDP members to run. The NDP was disbanded following the political uprising earlier this year that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. The alliance also demanded the ruling military council pass a law that would ban officials involved in the misuse of power under Mubarak from running in elections for the next 10 years. Election campaigns are scheduled to begin October 12, the SCAF said this week. The SCAF was under great public pressures for setting a timetable for the elections, the first free one after the 30-year rule of ousted president Hosni Mubarak. Activists organized tens of marches and protests to force the SCAF to keep its promise of handing over power to a civilian-elected government. The SCAF also announced it is opening the door for nominations of both the lower and the upper houses. Candidates will be filling 498 seats in the lower house, while the upper house will have 270. The new law dose not allow independent candidates to join any political party once they are elected. The lower house election first stage is scheduled for November 28, the second is set for December 14 and the third on January 3. The first session of the new Parliament will kick off on March 17, 2012. The upper house elections will start their first stage on January 29 and their third round will end on March 11, and the first session will be held on March 24. The SCAF was criticized for cancelling the women's quota in the lower house, which guaranteed female representation. The new law says half of the seats on both houses dedicated to workers and farmers must have at least one female candidate on each list. BM
