Egypt: Opposition, Reform, and Gamal

Political activity occurred in Egypt on various fronts over the weekend, in advance of the upcoming national elections. Hassan Nafaa, coordinator of the National Association for Change (NAC), argued that Egyptians can achieve reform independently, without foreign aid. Nafaa accused the U.S. of “trying to blackmail Egypt behind the veil of reform. But the fact is that the establishment of democracy in Egypt stands against US interests,” adding, “We do not accept American intervention in Egypt’s affairs.” Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood and the NAC announced over the weekend that they had gathered 341,000 signatures and 88,000 signatures for Mohamed ElBaradei’s reformist demands, respectively, which the MB called “a positive response on the part of the public” to the campaign. The April 6 reform movement also reported that it had distributed 15,000 leaflets listing the demands. Father Moussa, the bishop of youth for the Coptic Orthodox Church, criticized ElBaradei, stating that he has failed to offer a new proposal for political reform, and arguing that he should join an existing political party. Some analysts suggested that Moussa’s statements may indicate a move by the Church to distance itself from ElBaradei out of concern over a potential alliance between the reformist leader and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Regarding the opposition, the MB decided not to join a 4-party opposition coalition including the Wafd, Tagammu, Nasserite, and Gabha parties. Nevertheless, MB spokesman Essam el-Erian affirmed that “we hope to see all political forces unite against the corruption of the ruling National Democratic Party,” adding, “We aim to achieve democracy and political reform and end corruption.” Reports also emerged indicating that opposition parties will not boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections, as Nasserite Party Secretary-General Ahmed Hassan announced that his party will field 55 male and female candidates in the elections but will “request certain guarantees, such as judicial supervision of elections and a ban on interference by security services.” Hassan said that the Wafd, Tagammu, and Gabha parties have also decided to participate in the elections, while other reports noted that Tagammu is grappling with internal divisions over its list of candidates– a suggestion heatedly denied by Party President Refaat el-Saeed.

On the other side of the political spectrum, the Popular Coalition to Support Gamal Mubarak asserted its independence from the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), as its general coordinator, Magdi el-Kurdi, called for President Hosni Mubarak‘s son “to stand for election over any other candidate, even President Hosni Mubarak himself.” Meanwhile, local analysts warned that recently launched propaganda poster campaigns for potential presidential candidates– including Gamal Mubarak, Mohamed ElBaradei, and Ayman Nour –”‘should not distract political leaders from working towards guaranteeing the integrity of upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections’.” Amr el-Shobaki, a political analyst at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, argued that the flurry of pro-Gamal efforts indicated that “’ElBaradei’s signature campaign is manifested by a genuine desire for change and reform’,” adding, “This has terrified Gamal Mubarak supporters’.” Speaking at a meeting with 500 university students at the Leaders Preparation Institute, Gamal himself faced questions from students regarding the political situation in Egypt, with one student stating, “‘I’m scared that power will be inherited’,” adding, “You are accountable to God.” Gamal responded that he has always been “careful not to offend God,” and said that “it’s not yet time to determine who the NDP presidential candidate will be.”