International Conference to Discuss Violations of Egypt’s Poll

 The Independent Committee for Elections Monitoring has organized an international press conference on Tuesday December 7, at the Ibn Khaldun Center to discuss Egypt’s 2010 parliamentary poll and the deterioration of democracy.
 
The international parliamentary union approved sixteen years ago a consensus held in Paris in March 1994: a declaration of standards that promises free and fair elections. The international document is concerned with guaranteeing the validity of the elections and it was signed on behalf of Egypt, by Dr. Ahmad Fathi Sorour, head of the People’s Assembly.
 
The Egyptian government had signed and pledged to enforce the international and regional charters for human rights which include the right of each individual to participate in the government of his country through representatives that are chosen freely, to vote in these elections through secret balloting, to enjoy equal chances to elect himself in those elections, and to show his political points of view in an individual way or in partnership with others.
 
It is agreed worldwide that the formation of democratic systems and institutions and empowering them are a shared responsibility of governments and organized and elected political forces. It is on this note that the scheduled conference will discuss Egypt’s 2010 parliamentary polls which was witnessed internationally and described as farcical, rigged, a fraud and a complete sham which rendered the NDP securing an embarrassing 96% of the seats in parliament in the first round.

The conference will concentrate on many of the most important violations that have been observed and their percentages for the different forces, with comparison between them and the 2005 elections. A speech will be delivered by Dr. Saad Eidin Ibrahim where he will comment on the two rounds of the election process.
 
These elections are considered the most important, since they foreshadow the upcoming presidential elections slated for 2011 and parliament members will be responsible for choosing the country’s president.
 
It is expected that testimonies will be heard describing the polls and the number of judicial rules and libels threatening the validity of the new parliament will be publicized.