Suriname: BVD merges with the NDP

The Basispartij voor Vernieuwing en Democratie (BVD or Basic Party for Renewal and Democracy) is to merge with President Desiré Delano "Dési" Bouterse's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and ceases to function as independent political party. The BVD was founded in 1996 by a group of dissident members of the fellow Indian ethnic Vooruitstrevende Hervormingspartij (VHP or Progressive Reform Party). In the last few years, the BVD has been chaired by Dillip Sardjoe, one of the country's richest and most influential businessman. The BVD planned to participate in the 2010 general election as part of the NDP coalition but, because of internal differences of opinion, it did not do so and won no seats. The relationship between Sardjoe and Bouterse has, however, significantly improved since the latter's electoral victory. Sardjoe needs the president to realise his business plans, and Bouterse uses Sardjoe's knowledge and skills to outline his policies.

With the merger, Bouterse has increased the NDP's Indian electorate, which is very important because his biggest rival in the 2015 elections will almost certainly be Chandrikapersad Santokhi's VHP. Although the NDP has been Suriname's first non-ethnic party, and Bouterse condemns ethnic politics, he also knows that the political reality is that the majority of Suriname's population vote on ethnic lines.

Bouterse has also said that he expects that Progressieve Arbeiders- en Landbouwersunie (PALU or Progressive Labourers and Farmers Union), which is also currently part of the ruling coalition but won no seats in the 2010 election, will eventually cease to exist and will merge with the NDP. “But that day will come”, said Bouterse.

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

© 2012 Menas Associates

Former Mubarak aide jailed for corruption

On Sunday 27 May, a criminal court convicted one of former president Hosni Mubarak's aides of corruption, fining Zakaria Azmi £3.8million and sentencing him to seven years in prison.

Azmi was Mubarak's chief of staff. Mubarak, who spent 29 years in power, was rarely seen in public without him. Azmi was also a lawmaker and a senior member of Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP).

Azmi, who is in his 70s, reportedly supported Mubarak's wish to eventually hand over-power to his youngest son Gamal.

According to Egypt's Middle East News Agency, the Cairo court established that Azmi used his position to make illicit gains of $7 million. Azmi was jailed last year and put on trial in October, charged with illegal acquisition of funds.

He is one of many former Mubarak cronies detained on suspicion of corruption, some of whom have been sentence while others await trial. The group includes two former prime ministers, the former speaker of parliament, several wealthy businessmen and cabinet ministers closely linked to Gamal.

The verdict against Azmi came less than a week before a court was due to issue its verdict in the trial of Mubarak, who faced charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the popular uprising that toppled his regime last year. Mubarak, along with Gamal and his other son, Alaa, also faced corruption charges.

If convicted the former long-term leader could face the death penalty.

Sources: BBC News, Aljazeera, CTV

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

Former NDP members will be allowed to run in parliamentary elections

Egypt's Higher Administrative Court has ruled that members of the now-dissolved ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) will be able to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The elections are expected to take place in November, and will be the first in decades following former president Hosni Mubarak's departure in February.

Many former members of the Mubarak regime have already joined other parties and registered to run as independents. The decision to overturn Friday's ruling by a court in the northern Nile Delta city of Mansoura was anticipated. The second ruling set off a number of lawsuits across Egypt aimed at preventing former NDP members from standing in the elections.

Anti-government groups have been fighting to ensure that those they see as associated with Mubarak's 30 year rule are kept out of politics. Mubarak and many of his cronies are currently on trial or in prison on corruption charges and ordering the shooting of protesters during the uprising.

The vote, commencing on 28th November, is expected to elect an assembly which will appoint a committee to write a new constitution.

Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, BBC News

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

Egypt's cabinet reshuffled

Egypt's Prime Minister Essam Sharaf announced a cabinet reshuffle and then had trouble with the details. The swearing-in was delayed because he had to go to hospital to test for low blood pressure. He asked incumbents to continue in their posts until the baton could be passed to those nominated to succeed. First one, then another of the Ministers Designate withdrew. The muddle demonstrates the lack of political experience and acuity of those currently governing Egypt, both in the military and among the civilians.

The ministers of justice, interior, electricity, international co-operation, education, petroleum, culture, environment, tourism, manpower (labour) and social solidarity have all kept their posts.

Key changes include the appointment of two deputy prime ministers, both in their mid-70s, which scarcely reflects the demographics of the new Egypt.

A veteran economist, Hazem Beblawi, has been appointed as the deputy prime minister for economic affairs as well as finance minister. He replaces Samir Radwan who was seen as being too closely associated with the old ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and in favour of a major role in the economy.

Beblawi, who had worked for many years in the UN and other agencies, is a former chairman of the Export Development Bank. He has stated in early interviews his commitment to the market economy.

He was a founding member of the new, secular Egyptian Social Democratic Party, although has also been associated with the liberal Wafd party and has been critical of the old regime.

The Wafd has a number of other members in the cabinet, including the incumbent Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour and Minister of Information Osama Heikal.

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

© 2011 Menas Associates

Egypt: NDP secures more that 80 per cent of the seats in second round

President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) has won 83 per cent of the seats in the second round of parliamentary elections. The two biggest opposition groups – the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and the liberal Wafd party – withdrew from the second round, alleging fraud and rigging in the first ballot.

International monitors and Egyptian human rights groups have called for the results to be annulled. The US and the EU have voiced criticism over the poll due to widespread violence and allegations of rigging, but Egyptian officials insist the poll was fair and free of government interference.

Figures released by the election commission show that NDP secure 420 of parliament's 508 seats, more than 80 per cent compared with 70 per cent in the last parliament. MB and the Wafd party boycotted Sunday's election following NDP's win of 209 out of 211 seats in the first round of voting. The results saw MB, the leading opposition group in Egypt, with 20 per cent of the seats, without any MPs in the new assembly.

The group has called on President Mubarak to void the new parliament and run a re-election, overseen by an independent adjudicator. The call was seconded by an Egyptian rights group, Independent Coalition for Elections' Observation.

Both rounds of the parliamentary elections took place amid clashes between voters and security forces, as well as reports of rigging and fraud. Hundreds of MB members were rounded up prior to the first round as part of a clampdown on the group by the government.

Amnesty International estimates that as many as eight people had died in election related clashes, with at least 17 arrested in the city of Mersa Matruh for protesting against the results in their governance.

Source: BBC News

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

Egypt votes in second round of election amid allegations of fraud

Egypt has voted in a second round of parliamentary elections, a week after the first round was marred by violence and allegations of fraud. President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) won almost all the seats in the first round, following withdrawal from the poll by the two main opposition groups.

The NDP has been accused of fixing the vote, but the party insists that the ballot was fair. The top two candidates in seats where no-one polled more than 50 per cent of the vote are supposed to contest the run-off.

But the NDP, which won 209 of the 222 seats decided in the first round, is expected to win all but a handful of the 287 seats that were up for grabs on Sunday.

The first round of voting attracted criticism from rights groups and the US, after videos of confrontations between the government and the opposition and pictures of ballot boxes being stuffed and destroyed began to circulate on the internet.

Experts wonder whether the result has any credibility as it looks like the outcome might leave Egypt a one-party state. The main opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), pulled out of the second round as it failed to secure a single seat in the first round. The other opposition group, the liberal Wafd party, followed in MB's footsteps after winning just two seats.

The result of the parliamentary elections will no doubt have an affect on the presidential poll next year, but it is yet unclear whether President Mubarak will stand for re-election or look for a successor.

Source: BBC News

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

Egypt: MB to quit election

Egypt's main opposition party the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) says it is withdrawing its candidates from the election run-off, which will take place on Sunday 5th December. The group, who is banned from the election process but runs candidates as independents, failed to secure a single seat in Sunday's first round.

The group says the election was rigged in favour of President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) who won almost all the seats in the first round. A press release by the group said the election process was “scandalous" and marred by corruption and violence. MB's decision to quit the elections is expected to be confirmed by the group's leader Mohammed Badie.

Despite speculation to the contrary, Egyptian government has insists that the first round of votes was fair. The country's media has been instrumental in trying to discredit the government by running reports and testimonials of mass faked ballots and voters being intimidated at polling stations by security forces. Protests by opposition supporters have since erupted across the country.

The second round of voting is scheduled to go ahead on Sunday. Experts say that the turn out will most likely be in the 10-15 per cent region, the same as in the first round.

Source: BBC News

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

Egypt: MB fears heavy loses in poll

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Egypt's biggest opposition party, has failed to win any seats outright in the first round of the parliamentary election. The group has accused the Egyptian government of rigging votes and said that a few of its candidates will stand in a run-off vote on 5th December.

"Only a few will stand in a run-off, but not a single Brotherhood candidate won in the first round," said, the head of the MB's bloc of 88 seats in the outgoing parliament, Saad al-Katatni.

Results of the poll are yet to be officially confirmed, but it appears that the losers include MB's leader in parliament. There were reports of protests and violence during Election Day, with many of the MB supporters prevented from casting their vote.

MB supporters and have spoken out against the Egyptian government, saying it has annihilated the multi-party system, compromised freedom of speech and the integrity of the elections. A spokesman for the party has warned that infringement of these rights will lead to more violence as achieving change by peaceful means becomes increasingly impossible.

The MB is officially prohibited from taking part in the elections; therefore its candidates stand as independents. The liberal New Wafd party also had no winners, with a handful of candidates going into run-offs. President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP) is expected to win the majority of the votes. The new parliament will have 518 members, 508 of whom will be elected and 10 will be appointed by presidential decree.

Source: BBC News

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

Egyptian parliamentary election marred by violence and fears of corruption

The Egyptian parliamentary election took place amid clashes between the opposition and the security forces. There have also been unconfirmed reports of violence outside the capital involving the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) supporters and the main opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood (MB).

MB supporters said they were prevented from voting, accusing the Egyptian government of corruption and rigging. "There's no voting going on, just rigging. It's a disgrace," said one voter.

Protests have continued during the night over the conduct of Sunday's Egyptian parliamentary elections, which the opposition claimed were marred by fraud. Backers of the MB gathered outside polling stations in Alexandria, an MB stronghold, where most of the stand-offs between the MB supporters and backers of the NDP occurred.

Many of the 42 million voters, eligible to cast their ballots, stayed at home fearing Election Day violence. Early inductions suggest that President Hosni Mubarak's NDP party may win an unfeasibly large victory, further fuelling speculation over the integrity of these elections.

In 2005, the MB won about a fifth of the seats, standing as independent candidates. Critics of the Egyptian government are wondering whether the officially banned MB will retain its position as the biggest opposition group.

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.