Democratic Front Party (DFP) President Ossama el-Ghazali Harb called on the Wafd, Tagammu and Nasserist opposition parties, with which the DFP has formed a coalition, to boycott Egypt’s upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in the absence of constitutional guarantees that the races would be free and fair.
In a press statement on Sunday, Harb said his call for a boycott bore no relation with his meeting with Mohamed ElBaradei, a potential presidential candidate, last week.
“We share the same demands for liberalism, democratic reform and social justice,” Harb said. “But the boycott was decided when the ruling National Democratic Party announced its refusal make any constitutional amendments as regards the electoral process, which diminishes our chances for genuine representation.”
The three other opposition parties in the coalition, however, declined the DFP’s appeal.
“We have boycotted elections before and found it was not the right thing to do,” said Wafd Party Honorary President Mostafa el-Tawil. “Our coalition doesn’t mean that each of us isn’t allowed to act on his own.”
Tagammu Party Spokesman Nabil Zaki, for his part, said the DFP had no right to take unilateral decisions. “Why have a coalition in the first place then?” he asked.
Nasserist Party Vice President Mohamed Abul Ela likewise rejected the proposed boycott.
“This is a matter for our executive board to decide and should not come in response to another party’s call,” he said. “Political parties benefit more from participating in elections than from boycotting them.”
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
