Protests moved to NDP members & the other political parties
(Cairo, November 14, 2010) Protests began in the National Democratic Party because of the exclusion of many candidates from nomination without any logical reason. These protests spread to other political parties and for other reasons.
The following are the most prominent appeals made by the female candidates. They have been monitored by the operations room of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights during the period of appeals:
Alexandria:
- Mohammad Hafez Al-Basyouni, vice president of El Wafd party in Alexandria affirmed that the decision to exclude four candidates of El Wafd in Alexandria was invalid as there are no reasons that were announced by the committee of elections. Four candidates have been excluded from elections, including Manal Hafez whose category was “labor” on the quota seat.
- About 70 people from among the excluded candidates rallied inside the area of the police station to protest against the police’s refusal to enforce the judicial rulings issued for them last Thursday by inserting their names in lists of candidates.
- The court in Alexandria ruled to stop enforcing the decisions of the high commission for election, by refusing to insert the names of four candidates from the Muslim Brotherhood in lists of elections. Registration of their names is being made.
- The two female independent candidates Hanan Muhammad Ali and Neama Muhammad Abdel Hamed for labor quota presented an appeal against the NDP female candidate for the same seat Zainab Al Bohady as her category is not valid due to her work as a secretary.
Cairo:
- Sahar Osman, an NDP female candidate in El Salam city in Cairo on labor quota seat appealed against Shadya Ghdeer El Gamal, an NDP female candidate, its secretariat, and head of the national council in El Salam city and Nahda. As a result of this appeal, it was found that the female candidate Shadya Ghdeer El Gamal cannot read and write even though she presented among her documents a preparatory certificate in addition to her occupation of a leading position in the secretariat of the party in El Salam city and Nahda.
Beheera:
- Engineer Ahmed Osman, the secretary of the National Democratic Party threatens to resign the excluded female candidates on quota seats who organized protests against the choices.
- 4 candidates, amongst were a Coptic female candidates, filled official reports in the police stations in which they requested to confirm the following: their attempt to present the nomination documents to a committee of receiving requests, the committee’s refusal of their previous documents, their presentation of the documents to the secretary of NDP in Beheera & making proxy to him to withdraw some of their nominations, in addition to the refusal of others on the pretext that the nomination documents were incomplete.
Dakahlia:
- Around 500 peasants in Alzahaira village in Senbalaween constituency gathered in front of the court administrative jurisdiction in Mansoura, during discussions of the appeal submitted by Hussein Awad Sayed, the constituency’s candidate, who was excluded from the nomination to the National Democratic Party, against the high committee of elections that refused to receive his nomination papers.
- The female candidates who were excluded from the quota nominations in the government submitted a press release in protest to President Mubarak, against what she considered “wrong choices” of female candidates.
Damietta:
- Angry reactions are still going after the declaration of NDP to its candidates in the coming parliamentary elections. In Damietta, some of the quota female candidates who were excluded from the nominations declared their support for the Muslim Brotherhood’s female candidate, Eatemad Zaglol, who was nominated for “professional” seat in order to defeat the NDP female candidate, D. Samia Ellzeiny. Moreover, they are going to support Al Wafd female candidate, Al Amira Almeleegy to the same seat in Zarka, in an attempt to defeat Wafaa Almandoa.
Sharkia:
- In Sharkia, many were angered by the choice of Hayat Abdoun to the “professional” seat and Fardos Abu Hashem to the “Labor” seat.
- Security forces aborted a protest march that the excluded female candidates of NDP had organized, opposing the choices of the party, especially the choice of Hayat Abdoun for “professional” seat, because she does not reside in the constituency, as the excluded said.
Qena:
- Naglaa El Askary, candidate of the Free Republican Party to “Labor” seat in Qena, was surprised because her electoral category was suddenly changed from “labor” to “professional,” which led her to submit an appeal rejecting the change, although all her documents are correct. She insisted on running in the elections for “Labor” seat, and said that she is about to file a case in front of the Court of Administrative Jurisdiction in order to defend her rights.
Al-Minya:
- Wedad Abdel Hakeim, the only female candidate of Al-Wafd Party, submitted an appeal to the Supreme Committee for Election against Hanim Abo El-Wafa’a, the female candidate of National Democratic Party for Labor seat of Women’s Quota. Mrs. Abdel Hakeim threatened the Supreme Committee for Election. She said that if her appeal is not accepted, she will go to court against Abo El-Wafa’a, the father of NDP female candidate who graduated from faculty of Commerce with a Masters degree in Economic and stays in Agoza, Giza governorate which means that she should be a Professional and not Labor.
Marsa Matrouh:
- The Committee of Electoral Appeals of the upcoming parliamentary elections has accepted five appeals for the candidates in two districts (Matrouh and Qouta District). An appeal from Najya Zayid Ghanewa, Labor, has been accepted while her documents were rejected before because they were incomplete.
Kafr El-Shiekh:
- Nagla El-Said Abo Hassan, the female candidate of the Egyptian Arab Socialist Party for Labor Seat Quota, has submitted an appeal to the head of the Judicial Committee, which supervises the election in Kafr El-Shiekh. She demanded that her “labor” category be guaranteed and she was surprised that her category was changed to ‘professional’ even though all her papers say that she is ‘labor’.
The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights is still following the election process and is receiving complaints from women in all the Egyptian governorates.
