Election Registration Committee Refuses to Implement Court ’s Rulings

The committee supervising Egyptian municipal elections scheduled to be held next April, 8th, refused to comply to the administrative court”s rulings ordering it to receive Muslim Brotherhood”s candidates. This court ruling, issued on the last day of the accepting the papers, was issued as members and leaders of the Muslim brotherhood staged many demonstrations nationwide to vice their rejection to these grave violations. In the coastal governorate of Alexandria , a one thousand member demonstration was staged in front of the Administrative Court while the court was hearing appeals of the group”s candidates who were denied the chance to submit their papers to the committees to allow them to stand elections. 6 other thousand MB members resumed their demonstrations in 4 key regions in Alexandria in protest at this administrative and security harassments against potential candidates.
 
In the governorate of Gharbiya, thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members and sympathizers staged demonstrations under a heavy security blockade that led to rounding up up to 15 members in El-Mahalla El-Kubra .
 
 
The last day of accepting candidacy paper, several demonstrations were staged and security violations were committed as court rulings were issued giving candidates the right to stand elections while the registration committees refused to receive their papers amid a state of rage among all opposition parties.
 
Only one hour before the registration deadline, the Secretaries of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) in Cairo went to the general directorate in Cairo to submit slates of the NDP candidates under strict instructions from Ahmed Ezz, the NDP Organization Secretary-General, of not revealing names of those listed in the slate to avid that any NDP candidate run as an independent. He also threatended with dismissing any NDP members who may run as independent. However, some NDP members, i.e Menya, were aware of this scheme and submitted their papers to run as independent.
 
In Port Said , a lawyer for 33 MB potential candidates said that security forces stormed into his office and disheveled its contents. 26 MB candidates in Dakahlia managed to submit their papers by court force. For its part, the Administrative Court ordered 630 Muslim Brotherhood candidates be included in the final lists of candidates in governorates of Bani Suwayf, Kafr Al-Sheikh, Al-Qalyubia and Al Fayyum, while the northern governorate of Damietta refused to comply to the court ruling of including 124 MB candidates.
 
 
In Alexandria , the Administrative Court ordered 95 MB candidates in Alexandria in the final candidate lists, and dismissing the Interior Minister”s decision of making the election registration committee refuse to receive candidacy papers.
 
Also, the Administrative Court in Ismailia dismissed the election committee”s decision of not refusing to receive candidacy papers of 28 Muslim Brotherhood in the governorate of Suez .
 
In the same context, Mohamed Mahdi Akef, the Muslim Brotherhood chairman, will hold on Saturday afternoon in MB Executive Office headquarters in the Egyptian capital Cairo , to declare the group”s attitude towards the violations committed by the Egyptian government against MB candidates and to declare the group”s attitude towards elections in coming period.