CAIRO - Former opposition MPs, evicted from Parliament in this year's legislative elections, strongly protest that they have been the victims of foul play masterminded by the ruling party's officials. The bleeding candidates, who used to constitute a painful headache for the National Democratic Party (NDP) and its Government, received a new setback when President Hosni Mubarak rejected their pathetic appeal to dissolve Parliament. Although he confessed to 'minor violations in some constituencies and negative behaviour by some candidates and their supporters', Mubarak, who doubles as the NDP's Chairman, declared that the elections were 'consistent with the law'. Nonetheless, the former champions of the opposition in Parliament have pledged to continue their battle against 'the new People's Assembly'. They have also refused to allow their rivals (the ruling party's officials) to silence their voices. Led by two journalists, Hamdin Sabahi and Moustafa Bakri (both former MPs), the defeated candidates warn that they will do everything possible to scandalise Parliament and compel the President to call for new general elections. Executing their threat, they have initiated high-level talks with a ferocious beast, the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, lurking in the political wilderness. The defeated candidates, who include the ruling party's insurgents, have also contacted Mohamed ElBaradie, the ex-chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and his National Movement for Change. The three-way talks centre on what should be done next at home and abroad to get their revenge on the ruling party. According to the press, it was suggested that they seek the help of the Hague-based International Court of Justice, while representatives from the Muslim Brotherhood expressed their approval of this suggestion. In the meantime, they have also come up with a proposal to launch an unofficial, 'parallel' parliament. Airing their grievances to the press, the former opposition icons unanimously stressed that the outgoing legislative elections were 'massively rigged' and that the defeat of the opposition and independent candidates had been arranged long before the President called upon the nation to vote for the new MPs. Journalist Hamadin Sabahi, who is loyal to the socialist ideology of late president Gamal Abdel-Nasser, complained that rigging was the rule in this year's general elections. He told Al-Masry Al-Youm independent newspaper: “The rigging was unprecedented, immeasurable and indescribable.” Sabahi alleged that the elimination of the opposition icons from the next Parliament was a crime committed 'with malice aforethought', arguing that the massive vote rigging provided compelling evidence that there is no longer freedom and democracy in Egypt. “Therefore, we should expect worse to come,” he said. “We should expect more restrictions on the freedom of speech.” Meanwhile, an outspoken opposition figure, who belongs to the Tagammu (Unionist Progressive Party), said that democracy “had been assassinated” in the recent legislative elections. “The political leadership has made a grave mistake by allowing the ruling party to be the sole playmaker,” argued el-Badry Farghali (former representative of the Port Fouad constituency in the Suez Canal city of Port Said) “From now on, any talk about democracy in Egypt is lies and nonsense,” he continued, accusing the ruling party of manufacturing a tamed opposition in Parliament. Allegations about the vote rigging were substantiated by wealthy businessman Munir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, from Al-Wafd opposition Party. A Copt, who was given painful drubbing in this month's elections, he claimed that he was 'robbed' of votes cast by his supporters, indicating that the NDP would rue in the day it rigged the elections. “My votes were stolen from me [by the ruling party] in my alma mater, the Upper Egyptian constituency of Gerga,” claimed the defeated candidate, describing his supporters as disappointed and frustrated. “Many of them wept, when I was defeated. Being poor and marginalised, they now have no hope that I can save them from poverty and harsh economic conditions. “But I'm not going to abandon them or withdraw from the battle,” he told them. “I will carry on doing my best to improve the lives of these honest people and the quality of their services.”
