Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood opposition called on MPs on Sunday to reject a constitutional amendment that would allow for the first ever competitive presidential election.
”We ask the People’s Assembly [Parliament] to reject the constitutional amendment… [and] to take out every prohibitive condition to fielding one’s candidacy to the presidency,” the group’s leader Mohammed Madhi Akef told reporters.
Egyptian lawmakers are due to discuss a draft amendment to article 76 of the Constitution relating to the election on Tuesday.
But Akef’s demand is likely to receive short shrift since the 454-seat Parliament is dominated by the ruling National Democratic Party of President Hosni Mubarak.
The amendment, which was suggested by Mubabrak, so far provides that any given candidate in the September presidential election must be endorsed by at least 300 elected officials, among them 65 MPs and 25 senators, with the rest consisting of local officials.
Although Mubarak (77) has yet to announce whether he will run for a fifth six-year mandate, experts predict he most probably will.
The brotherhood, which has been banned since 1954 but is tolerated, has 17 members sitting in Parliament as independents. – Sapa-AFP