14 local, international organizations banned from upcoming election

CAIRO – 20 November 2017: Around 14 civil society and international organizations are excluded from monitoring the upcoming presidential elections as they support the now banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

Some of the human rights and civil society organizations that have been excluded from the elections include Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement, Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, and Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies and Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression.

Egyptian human rights activist Dalia Ziada has called for accelerating the issuance of executive regulations of NGOs law to face the organizations affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood. Ziada added that Egyptians become politically mature; hence, Egypt should not be afraid of these organizations.

She stressed that the Ministry of Social Solidarity should suspend all organizations that were formed during the Muslim Brotherhood regime prior to elections. She also pointed out that Amnesty International, Sawasia Charity Foundation, and Cordoba Foundation would not observe the election.

MP Solaf Darwish confirmed that the government should be wary of human rights organizations in the upcoming elections and be able to differentiate between transparent human rights organizations and the human rights organizations that are financed to attack the state’s institutions to protect our country.

Darwish stressed that Egypt does not antagonize civil society organizations as long as they work for the state’s interests and not for foreign agencies, noting that Egypt has the right to preserve its institutions from these organizations.

Presidential elections are approaching, as they are set to be held in May 2018. However, no single potential candidate announced he or she would run for office.

Around 70 local and regional civil society organizations will observe the upcoming presidential election including the U.S.-based Carter Center, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, the Election Network in the Arab Region, Transparency International and Global Network for Rights and Development.

The Candidacy for Egypt’s 2018 presidential election will be announced in February by the National Commission for Elections (NCC).

Many political parties have started their campaigns supporting President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second four-year term in office.

To Build It (Alashan Tbneeha) campaign has announced organizing new supportive conferences to support President Sisi after the World Youth Forum, which is being held in Sharm El-Sheikh city of South Sinai, the campaign member Mohamed Shabaan told Egypt Today on Friday.