Al-Dustour editor sacked over Mohamed ElBaradei article

The editor of Egypt's Al-Dustour newspaper Ibrahim Eissa has been sacked by the paper's publisher after being instructed not to run a feature by the leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei. Eissa's co-workers have staged a sit in protest of the dismissal.

Eissa, known for his satirical articles against the government, said he was not given the exact reason for the dismissal but that it came, "hours after the publishers told me they didn't want me to run an article written by Mohamed ElBaradei."

ElBaradei, the former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has emerged as a leading opposition figure since returning to Egypt in February. Al-Dustour was recently purchased by another opposition leader and head of the Al-Wafd Party Elseyed el-Badawi. The Wafd party refused to back ElBaradei's decision to boycott the upcoming elections, which critics say might be rigged.

In 2008, Eissa was sentenced to two months in prison for offending President Hosni Mubarak after he reported about his deteriorating health. It is yet unclear whether Hosni Mubarak will run for a sixth term in 2011 or whether he will be succeeded by his son Gamal.

Source: BBC News

For more news and expert analysis about Egypt, please see Egypt Politics & Security.

Al-Tagammu to compete in November elections

Egypt's main Leftist Party Al-Tagammu has said it will compete in the next People's Assembly (PA) elections in November. Al-Tagammu founding memeber and prominent columnist Fathia El-Assal said, “elections are the best opportunity for [political parties] to interact with the public … in a state where democracy is absent”.

Al-Tagammu said it will nominate 74 candidates, including nine women, to compete for the 508 seats of the Lower-House of the Parliament in most constituencies nationwide. The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's main opposition group, has earlier announced it will participate in the upcoming elections, with the intention of exposing vote-rigging by the ruling regime in Egypt. The Al-Wafd party is also expected to take part in the elections.

Head of al-Tagammu Refaat El-Saeid said that the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) must abide by the guarantees that the opposition parties had demanded to ensure the integrity of the elections.

El-Saeid further stressed that the the Supreme Press Council is to provide all candidates, whether NDP or opposition, with equal opportunities in the media to campaign.

Source: The Daily News Egypt

For more news and expert analysis about Egypt, please see Egypt Politics & Security.

Mohamed ElBaradei urges Egypt to boycott election

Former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, has urged Egyptians to boycott November's parliamentary election, saying it is certain to be rigged by the government. ElBaradei explained that taking part in the election would go against "the national will" to transform Egypt into a democracy.

ElBaradei has not yet said whether he will run for president in 2011. And it is still unclear who will succeed President Mubarak, nor whether Mubarak will seek re-election, but speculation has been mounting and many believe that he will try to install his son, Gamal, in the role if he decides to retire.

Shorty after his return to Egypt, in February, ElBaradei's National Coalition for Change launched a petition calling for constitutional changes and guarantees of free elections. The petition lists seven demands including allowing independents to run for president, and the lifting of the emergency laws that have been in place since 1981.

"We have gathered nearly a million signatures in six months and we can reach up to two to three million more by the end of this year," said ElBaradei on Monday.

In talking about the government ElBaradei said that the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) has failed Egypt, and is responsible for rising poverty and illiteracy, and the disregard of human rights.

"When I look at the temple they built, I see a decaying temple, nearly collapsing. It will fall sooner rather than later. I will never enter this temple. What we call for is to bring down this temple in a peaceful civilised manner. If the whole population boycotts the elections totally, it will be in my view the end of the regime," concluded ElBaradei.

Source: BBC News

For more news and expert analysis about Egypt, please see Egypt Politics & Security.