Political parties criticised the president's approach in the issuance of laws expected to regulate the coming parliamentary elections. The Egyptian Social Democratic Party (ESDP) and the Free Egyptians Party (FEP) called on the committee tasked with amending the Political Participation Law to be more inclusive in its activities. Interim President Adly Mansour issued a presidential decree on 14 April creating the said committee to amend the laws in preparation for the coming parliamentary elections. The parties noted that in order to avoid "exclusion", representatives from political parties should meet with the committee to put forward their proposals regarding the amendment to the laws. The committee amending the Political Participation Law held its first meeting on Sunday. They agreed that the coming parliamentary elections will follow a system that combines electoral lists with individual candidates. Shehab Wagih, FEP spokesman, said that the party is endorsing a mixed system with 50% relying on electoral lists. Ahmed Fawzy, Secretary General of the ESDP, also said his party is endorsing a similar system, or one where only one-third of the parties' candidates are individually elected. Fawzy stressed that the ESDP is against the political disenfranchisement of anyone who has not been convicted. He said that both members of the now-dissolved National Democratic Party or the banned Muslim Brotherhood organisation should be allowed to participate in the coming parliamentary elections unless they have been convicted. The ESDP is also calling for stating in the Parliamentary Elections Law that civil society organisations are allowed to observe the elections, Fawzy said.
