The Egyptian government’s fierce crackdown against opposition affiliates, specially the Muslim Brotherhood, is getting tougher everyday as the municipal elections of April 8 are nearing. Ikhwanweb interviewed various opposition voices to shed light on their opinions concerning the way the government dealed with opposition potential candidates.
Mohamed Al-Sayed Saeed, editor-in-chief of Al-Badeel leftist newspapers, said in his column this week, commenting on the different kinds of violations practiced since the very beginning of registration in municipal elections, that all arts of election fraud are practiced in Egypt .
"Since violating the constitution has become usual in Egypt , it is much better for the Egyptian regime to cancel elections from the beginning rather than prevent most potential candidates from running," he wrote.
Not a single MB would succed in Municipal Elections
Abdul-Halim Kandil of Al-Karama Party, discussed the reasons for violations in Egypt ’s elections saying, "The Egyptian regime fights potential candidates as if they were trying to obtain an illegitimate right." He added that the act of appointing members of different opposition parties by the government in sensitive administrative posts, including municipal posts, is totally unexpected.
Kandil confirmed to Ikhwanweb that the violations and arrests committed in municipal elections are not surprising at all. It is the repeated scenario in every Egyptian elections.
In his opinion, the real problem lies in the persistence of some political powers to participate in elections with predetermined results. They make futile efforts to reach useless positions while they can save these efforts to participate in more important social and political demonstrations seeking reform for the society.
This is similar to what George Ishak, a senior member in Kefaya Movement and its former general-coordinator, once said, namely, taking part in the election game gives legitimacy to the Egyptian regime, a legitimacy that it does not deserve, while this regime is tyrannical and must perish.
Abdul-Halim Kandil believed that none of the Muslim Brotherhood members would be able to field himself as a candidate in such municipal elections, adding that other opposition parties would hardly succeed in fielding any candidates.
Kandil suggested that all opposition parties should "boycott these so-called elections", and that would be the least they can do, adding that such "farce" can never be considered as real elections and that any sane person is normally aware of the government’s attitude toward elections.
Egyptian regime seeks to eliminate opposition:
On the other hand, Essam El-Erian, a top leader in the MB, believed that the Egyptian regime avoids having real elections where different political trends would compete.
The participation of different opposition parties in elections with their slogans that call for reform is itself a source of worry for the Egyptian regime which seeks to eliminate all opposition voices. Such policy is expected to be used excessively within the coming days, he said.
El-Erian expected that the Egyptian regime would soon appoint nominated candidates in different administrative posts without any elections, adding that it may leave a few seats for opposition members while the NDP would takeover more than 99%.
"However", added El-Erian, "The Muslim Brotherhood would certainly do its best to participate in elections as it is a constitutional right for everyone", adding that if it were not for the Muslim Brotherhood’s attempt, no one would have known anything about the regime’s acts and violation of citizens’ constitutional rights.
In a Fair Election the Egyptian Regime will be "the biggest loser"
Rafiq Habib, a Coptic political intellectual, said in a phone interview with Ikhwanweb that the Egyptian regime apparently fears the existence of any opposing political entity, specially the Muslim Brotherhood.
The regime, Habib resumed, now faces different problems because of its failure. The regime fears the rise of political awareness, as well as media voices that practice their right to freedom of expression.
"Undoubtedly the regime seeks to obstruct all kinds of political activities in Egypt ," said Habib, adding that the government’s acts in municipal elections are an attempt to block the paths of all candidates, preventing them from any sort of propaganda.
Despite the fact that the government can eventually manipulate the results of elections, it could not tolerate allowing opposition potential candidates to field themselves in the poll.
The ruling regime, said Habib, believes that election campaigns by opposition powers would pose a great danger to its existence as they would increase sympathy and support to its opponents, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood.
Habib also said that the rising popular hatred of the NDP since the 2005 Parliamentary elections made the government afraid of all other political forces. The Egyptian regime refuses to give any chance to other political powers to field themselves as candidates, as he knows if fair elections took place in Egypt , the Egyptian ruling party would definitely be the biggest loser because of people’s hatred to it.
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