CAIRO: Upcoming parliamentary elections will take place on November 28 as scheduled despite clashes in Tahrir killing dozens and injuring hundreds, announced members of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF). SCAF member Mukhtar el-Mullah said, in a press conference entitled “The latest Egyptian parliamentary elections' first round measures,” military forces did not and will never direct a weapon in the face of an Egyptian citizen. He added that all people know corruption exists and that they should all confront it. Regarding questions about SCAF's refusal to form a National Coalition Government, which has become a dilemma for the council, el-Mullah said the council only appoints the Prime Minister. The PM then chooses the members of the cabinet. These choices are made after consultations for Egypt's sake and not only for the people, who are unrepresentative of the whole population, in Tahrir. El-Mullah added the council cannot specify a time ceiling for the formation of the government. His language changed when a question about how protesters in Tahrir were not representative of the whole population was addressed to him. El-Mullah replied by saying there are respected youth in Tahrir and no one can deny their role. El-Mullah said the slowness of the military council is down to the fact it takes reports from the different authorities. He added that the military forces also protect Egypt from any threats, regardless of the insults they receive and practice the principle of self-criticism to reform matters. Leaving authority would be treason against the country, he said. Commenting on the detention of activists, the SCAF member said military forces had never arrested any one for an opinion but only for committing a crime. He added that those arrested were referred to military prosecution due to the lack of police and security. Regarding the million-man demonstration staged tomorrow against the military council, el-Mullah said the demonstrations stop traffic movements in the Egyptian streets and aim against achieving democracy. The coming period needs focus for Egypt's sake, he added. El-Mullah answered the question of handing over authority from the military council by a referendum, in the same way Tantawi did in his speech. SCAF will hand over the authority in accordance with commitments made to the Egyptian people. If people want SCAF to leave power, it will be by referendum on all people and not upon the minority's request because the authority is "honest." SCAF members said the Ministry of Interior has a legal right to defend itself by using live ammo but military forces called on them to react in the same level of action by using tear gas bombs according to international standards. He also denied the military council announced presidential elections will be conducted in 2013, as well as denying video footage that showed security forces killing protesters and dragging them in to the trash. The military council does not seek to hold on to authority, which was clear in the constitutional declaration saying the Council will run affairs for six months or pending presidential elections. It is a clear road map, said SCAF member Mamdouh Shaheen. Shaheen said SCAF passed several laws to protect the people and Egyptian citizens including the law of elections, law of expatriate enfranchisement, law of corruption of political life and the law of parties which allowed Egypt to have a multi-party system providing a democratic atmosphere. Egypt now has 55 political parties, Shaheen added. As for the role of the Supreme Electoral Committee (SEC) in the upcoming parliamentary election, the committee's chief Abdel Moez Ibrahim said it aims to settle down the justice rules and rights because it believes the January 25 Revolution broke out because of a lack of law being applied. He also said judges, despite being criticized, are able to take responsibility for this. He denied reports saying around 300 judges “rescued” themselves from monitoring the elections, by confirming only 35 judges have been rescued because of healthy conditions. The SEC is ready to conduct elections under any circumstances because the elections are the lifeline for the Egyptian social brackets during this critical period, according to the committee chief who said increasing the voter numbers will lead to more clear and real results. Regarding Egyptian expatriates' voting, Egypt applies the system of voting by mail for the first time to easily facilitate voting abroad in the elections. As for securing journalists and reporters covering the parliamentary elections, the SEC issued decisions and mechanisms for organizing media representatives' work outside the polling stations, Ibrahim stated. The results of the parliamentary elections for both independent candidates will be announced the same day of elections while the parties' slates will be announced after the end of elections. The conference announced 25,000 non-governmental organizations for human rights got permits to follow up the elections, as well as 800,000 Arab and foreign organizations. 1,580 journalists also got permits from the SEC. Responding to questions about the 500 EGP fine against people who do not cast a vote in the election, especially the physically and financially unable, Ibrahim said his duty is only to apply the law. Those who will not cast their votes will have their names referred to the public prosecution. Ibrahim said there will not be an international monitor on the parliamentary elections because Egyptians have already grown up and matured. Organizations are welcome to follow and watch the elections though.
