Continued violations against individual freedoms and the absence of social justice prove the old regime still exists despite the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak, said Islamist presidential hopeful Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh on Tuesday.
In a video posted on his YouTube account Tuesday morning to commemorate the first anniversary of the 25 January revolution, Abouel Fotouh said Egypt’s transition to democracy has not ended with the election of the new People’s Assembly.
Fulfilling the revolution’s goals will require a parliamentary consensus over those goals so the people can restore their sovereignty, he added.
The former Muslim Brotherhood leader called for building a democratic system based on a constitution, which he said should avoid concentrating power in the hands of rulers or blocking channels of political activity.
The new constitution should not create gender, religious or class discrimination among citizens, Abouel Fotouh said, adding that it should also end the politicization of the security apparatus.
According to a Constitutional Declaration issued by the ruling military council in March of last year, Parliament is supposed to be responsible for electing a 100-member panel to draft Egypt’s new constitution.
Abouel Fotouh urged Egyptians to participate in the protests scheduled for Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the beginning of the revolution last year. He said those protests should insist on achieving the revolution’s goals and fulfilling them no matter what sacrifices we have to make.
Many protesting Egyptians believe the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is not making a serious effort toward establishing a democratic system, and question its intention to hand over power to a civilian government despite pledging to transfer authority to an elected president by late June.
While some political groups have announced the will take part in the 25 January protests to celebrate the revolution, other said they will participate to demand the SCAF hand over power and achieve the revolution’s unfulfilled demands.
