Al-Tayar Al-Sha'aby (the Popular Current), announced Monday that it will not run in the upcoming parliamentary elections. "Our members are still free to apply as individual candidates if they wish," the group said in a press statement released Monday on their social media websites. The party announced it does not believe the current political climate allows real competition and neither promotes the holding of fair elections nor proper communication between political entities and people. The Popular Current, which is still collecting endorsement forms to register as an official party, was founded and led by former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy. The former candidate chose to leave the party's leadership to its young members when they announced their intention to become a political party last September. The Popular Current had decided to pursue its official registration after the parliamentary elections, Popular Current spokesperson Ahmed Kamel told Daily News Egypt Tuesday. The group is currently managed by a founding committee that comprises 11 members of party leaders and politicians. By law, the party cannot run for elections, but it spoke of not participating as a means to express their objection regarding parliamentary laws. In the next parliament, there will be 567 seats of which 120 members will be elected through the list system. Out of those 120, who should be spread over four lists according to the constituency law, it has been agreed among political forces that at least 16 of the names will be from youth. "I would not speak of a youth representation," Kamel argued. "In fact, I would not speak of any representation at all, except for big popular families." For Kamel, the law dividing constituencies seems to have been based only on a strong will to destroy the Muslim Brotherhood's political communities across Egypt. He said it was "overlooking the purpose of expanding chances for other political entities to enhance a democratic environment". Meanwhile, the Popular Current said it will endorse the candidates of the Democratic Alliance, a coalition made of the Socialist Popular Alliance, Misr Al-Hurreya, Al-Karamah Party, Al-Dostour Party, and the Justice Party.
