Draft removes judges as Egyptian vote monitors

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

CAIRO, March 5 (Reuters) Draft constitutional amendments published in an Egyptian newspaper today would abolish judicial supervision of elections and make it almost impossible for the opposition Muslim Brotherhood to seek the presidency.

The text of the draft, published in the independent newspaper Al Masry Al Youm, would substitute a committee for the judges who now have a constitutional duty to oversee voting.

The proposals match some ideas floated by senior members of the ruling National Democratic Party but parliamentary sources said they were open to revision before they are finalised.

The amendments would deprive non-party independents of the right to stand for the presidency and ban all political activity based ''on any religious reference or basis''.

The proposed changes could also clear the way for the government and ruling party to change the electoral system so that the Muslim Brotherhood cannot compete even for parliamentary seats, as they did with some success in 2005.

Under the existing system, the Muslim Brotherhood could field a presidential candidate as an independent if its members won enough seats in parliament and local councils.

Although the government refuses to let the influential Islamist movement form a political party, Brotherhood members standing as independents were able to win about one fifth of the seats in the lower house of parliament in 2005.

Under the new text, which Al Masry Al Youm said was approved by a drafting committee, only recognised political parties would be able to field presidential candidates.

On the supervision of elections, it says: ''A high committee enjoying independence and impartiality will undertake the supervision of elections in the manner organised by the law.'' The constitution also stipulates that parliamentary elections must take place on a single day. The last elections took place in three stages because Egypt does not have enough judges to supervise all polling stations simultaneously.

The opposition and civil society groups have prized judicial supervision of elections as one of the best ways to discourage the abuses and irregularities which have marred elections.

In the 2005 elections several judges risked their careers by speaking out against electoral practices that they witnessed.

Parliamentary elections now take place under a simple constituency system but some officials have said they would prefer a party-list system, which would make it more difficult for the Muslim Brotherhood to take part.

But the constitutional court ruled in 1987 that the party-list system was unconstitutional.

Senior NDP official Mohamed Kamal said in December that the party wanted the constitution to give the authorities the flexibility to choose the voting system which they think best.

Muslim Brotherhood deputy leader Mohamed Habib said he had not yet read the text published today.

The authorities began another crackdown on the Brotherhood in December and more than 300 members are now in custody, many of them without charges.

REUTERS PDM PM1551

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