Archive for Ahmed Abdel Rahman

Mediation committee recommends forming Constituent Assembly from outside Parliament

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April 25th, 2012

After four days of discussions, the mediation committee that was formed to end the impasse over the Constituent Assembly's current makeup agreed that the assembly should be formed from outside Parliament.

Committee member Wahid Abdel Meguid said 40 percent of the assembly would come from political parties, 15 percent from the judiciary and law professors, 10 percent youth, another 10 percent women, nine percent from professional syndicates, four percent from Al-Azhar, four percent from the Coptic Church, two percent from trade unions, a member of the armed forces, and a member of the police.

Abdel Meguid also said that political party representatives attended the meetings, most notably the Freedom and Justice Party, the Nour Party, the Egyptian Democratic Party and the Free Egyptians Party.

Tarek al-Sahry of the Nour Party said the liberals in the meetings objected to the presence of Islamists in the Constituent Assembly. “There are attempts to ban the Islamists from drafting the constitution,” he said, adding that the party ought to put down red lines when it comes to writing the constitution, namely that the Islamic Sharia is the main source of legislation, a mixed political system and separation of powers.

Yasser Borhamy of the same party said the party does not mind selecting the assembly members from outside Parliament, provided that all political parties are proportionately represented in it.

“The people chose the Islamists for Parliament,” he said. “Therefore, they should form 70 percent of the assembly.”

Adel Afify of the Asala Party called on the military council to announce the criteria for the formation of the assembly in a Constitutional Declaration to protect it from challenges and end the crisis over it.

Ahmed Abdel Rahman of the Freedom and Justice Party said the party is keen on a consensus among all political forces over the assembly so that it truly represents all segments of society. However, he rejected the idea of another Constitutional Declaration. 

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Abu Ismail supporters will vote for Morsy, says senior Brotherhood figure

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April 15th, 2012

 

Supporters of recently excluded Salafi presidential hopeful Hazem Salah Abu Ismail will vote for the head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political party, a senior Brotherhood member said Sunday.

“If Abu Ismail and Khairat al-Shater [another excluded presidential hopeful and Brotherhood senior adviser] are excluded from the race, the votes of Abu Ismail’s supporters will go to Mohamed Morsy,” said Brotherhood Shura Council member Ahmed Abdel Rahman, referring to the president of the Freedom and Justice Party.

The Presidential Elections Commission announced on Saturday it would exclude Abu Ismail, Shater and eight other hopefuls. It said they would be given 48 hours to appeal the decision with the commission.

Abdel Rahman told Al-Masry Al-Youm Morsy has a great chance to win, and that he is a respectful person with experience that qualifies him to be a successful leader.

“Mohamed Morsy and Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh [a former Brotherhood leader] will have great chances after exclusion of Abu Ismail,” said Mokhtar al-Ashry, head of the FJP’s legal committee, mentioning that Amr Moussa and Ahmed Shafiq will be their main competitors.

However, Haitham Abu Khalil, a former Brotherhood leading figure, called on the group to withdraw Morsy’s candidacy for the sake of the country.

Abu Khalil told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Morsy has a negative relationship with the group’s youth wing and that it would not be in the Brotherhood’s best interest for Morsy to run.

While Shater had a weak chance of winning, Morsy’s chances are nonexistent, he added.

Bahaa Neimatallah, a member of the group’s youth wing, said “Morsy doesn’t have charisma like Shater.

“For Brotherhood members, he is the group’s candidate,” he added. “They don’t see difference between Shater or Morsy because they consider the group’s candidate to be not a person but the whole group, and think that the candidate doesn’t represent a personal project but one of the group.”

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Brotherhood postpones decision on endorsing presidential candidate

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March 27th, 2012

The Muslim Brotherhood's Shura Council decided to postpone until Tuesday 3 April a meeting to discuss the group's decision on the endorsement of a presidential candidate from inside or outside of the group.

Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a council member, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the meeting was postponed for "more pondering," adding that "all the cards are on the table."

Another member of the council, Saad Emara, said the military council agreed to allow the Muslim Brotherhood to form a new cabinet on the condition that it appoints two deputies for the prime minister and 10 other ministers, a proposal rejected by the group.

The Islamist group’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, said on its website that 110 members of the Brotherhood’s Shura Council would meet Tuesday to decide whether to field a presidential candidate.

Mohamed al-Beltagy, a Brotherhood leader, told the Al-Tahrir television channel late Monday that an internal Brotherhood poll showed a majority of its members opposes reversing the group’s earlier pledge not to field a candidate.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Brotherhood denies threats from SCAF

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March 26th, 2012

The Muslim Brotherhood and the Freedom and Justice Party rejected on Monday what they called “threats” by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which had advised the group in a statement issued Sunday to “avoid undesired past mistakes.”

President Gamal Abdel Nasser had brutally purged the group in 1954, following a failed assassination attempt on him that he accused the group of perpetrating. The Brotherhood denied the accusation at the time, saying it helped Nasser overthrow King Farouk in 1952.

“We reject threats by the junta,” Ahmed Abu Baraka, a leading figure in the party told Al-Masry Al-Youm. “No one is above accountability.”

“We agree with what they said about the patriotism of the army and the integrity of the presidential elections,” he said. “But we want deeds, not talk.”

In response to a question by Al-Masry Al-Youm about the changing tone of the group vis-a-vis the SCAF in the last few days, Abu Baraka said the position of the Brotherhood has not changed.

“We have always been against tyranny, oppression and dictatorship, and we are for freedom and good governance,” Abu Baraka said. “We are not the only ones criticizing the military.”

Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a member of the group’s Shura Council, said the people are aware of what “those who control Egypt now” are doing. Rahman told Al-Masry Al-Youm that “any threat is not acceptable.”

Meanwhile, at a meeting with group leaders in Kafr Al-Sheikh on Sunday, Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie said, “We didn’t marry the SCAF in the first place for our honeymoon to end,” he said. “And [prime minister Kamal] Ganzouri’s cabinet must go.”

Also, the Salafi Youth Coalition called for solidarity with the Muslim Brotherhood in the face of the military junta.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Sources: 75% of constituent assembly members to be chosen by Islamists

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March 22nd, 2012

Thirty of the 50 seats allotted to members of Parliament in the constituent assembly that will write Egypt’s new constitution will go to Freedom and Justice Party MPs, and 10 to the Nour Party, according to an agreement in principle between the two leading parties.

Ahmed Abdel Rahman, from the FJP, said Wednesday that the final agreement would be announced on Saturday.

Based on the deal, the two parties would select the candidates for the remaining 10 parliamentary seats, in addition to another 25 public figures from outside Parliament. For the remaining 25 seats, groups outside of government will submit nominees for the Parliament to vote on.

This arrangement would leave the two Islamist parties in charge of selecting 75 of the constituent assembly’s members.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the FJP’s parent organization, head the Doctors, Veterinary and Engineers syndicates, all of which are among the organizations from which the constituent assembly will draw its non-Parliament members.

FJP MP Farid Ismail said each selection should have a good reputation, experience, efficiency and no association whatsoever with the former Mubarak regime or involvement in corruption.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Sources: 75% of constituent assembly members to be chosen by Islamists

by admin
March 22nd, 2012

Thirty of the 50 seats allotted to members of Parliament in the constituent assembly that will write Egypt’s new constitution will go to Freedom and Justice Party MPs, and 10 to the Nour Party, according to an agreement in principle between the two leading parties.

Ahmed Abdel Rahman, from the FJP, said Wednesday that the final agreement would be announced on Saturday.

Based on the deal, the two parties would select the candidates for the remaining 10 parliamentary seats, in addition to another 25 public figures from outside Parliament. For the remaining 25 seats, groups outside of government will submit nominees for the Parliament to vote on.

This arrangement would leave the two Islamist parties in charge of selecting 75 of the constituent assembly’s members.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the FJP’s parent organization, head the Doctors, Veterinary and Engineers syndicates, all of which are among the organizations from which the constituent assembly will draw its non-Parliament members.

FJP MP Farid Ismail said each selection should have a good reputation, experience, efficiency and no association whatsoever with the former Mubarak regime or involvement in corruption.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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MB leader: FJP refuses changes to the Ganzouri cabinet

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March 14th, 2012

The Freedom and Justice Party has refused the proposed reshuffling of Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri’s cabinet, one of the party's MPs said on Wednesday.

Shura Council member Ahmed Abdel Rahman said the FJP refuses the continuation of the government as its performance was sub-standard and that it would withdraw confidence from it next week.

“The party would not be granting its confidence to the government, and will refuse its statement,” Abdel Rahman told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Wednesday. “There are 29 requests for interrogation against the government from all parliamentary parties.”

Yousry Hammad, a spokesperson for the Salafi Nour Party said the party’s High Committee met on Tuesday and decided to open dialogue with all parties in preparation for withdrawing confidence from the Ganzouri cabinet. He said the party changed its previous decision due to new recent events.

Hammad told Al-Masry Al-Youm that “communications between the Nour Party and all political forces confirmed that most of these forces agree on the withdrawal of confidence.”

He said that the party refuses reshuffling the current cabinet and demands that it be changed completely “as its performance is questionable.”

Hammad added that “overwhelming evidence shows that the Ganzouri cabinet is managed in the same way as the National Democratic Party.”

Meanwhile, Ahmed Abul Nazar, chairman of the Nahdet Masr Party and member of the coalition of Sufi order parties, said the party successfully convinced the coalition and Sufi orders to support the Ganzouri cabinet against the FJP’s attempts by establishing a fund to meet workers’ demands and to help manage crises. He said it would be funded by businessmen who would receive tax deductions and other benefits.

He went on to say that the party sent this proposal on Wednesday to Ganzouri and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Egyptian government bonds available in Saudi

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March 5th, 2012

Riyadh — Egyptian government bonds are now available for purchase by Egyptians living in Saudi Arabia, the Egyptian Embassy in Riyadh announced Monday.

The announcement came in response to demands by the Egyptian community in the kingdom that it provide them with a way to financially support their country’s economy.

The certificates will be available at the Arab National Bank in Riyadh in coordination with the National Bank of Egypt, which will issue the 3-year-long bonds to help the Egyptian government out of its current budget crisis.

Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a Saudi-based accountant, said he was happy to hear about the new bonds. He said he and his colleagues are ready to buy them to support the country’s economy through the present difficult circumstances.

Some criticized the timing for issuing the certificates, though. Ahmed Mohamed, an administrative employee, said it is improper to issue the new bonds amid the current instability in Egypt. He said the election of a new president will usher in stability and boost economic progress, and thus there will be no need for the certificates.

The Egyptian Embassy in Qatar had also begun to offer bonds in collaboration between the Central Bank of Egypt and financial institutions in Doha. Egyptian ambassador to Qatar Mahmoud Fawzy Abu Donia explained that the minimum value of the bonds was US$1,000, with no maximum value, with a yearly interest of four percent.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Salafi Nour party: PM’s resignation is ‘national necessity’

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February 16th, 2012

The Salafi Nour Party said that it is a national necessity that Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri step down in order to safeguard the interest of the country, improve the ailing economy and alleviate the security vacuum.

“There have been discussions between the Freedom and Justice Party and the Nour Party about forming a coalition government,” party spokesperson Ahmed Khalil told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Thursday.

Khalil said that in a coalition government formed with the FJP, the service portfolios, such as the health, education and religious endowments ministries would be assigned to the Nour Party.

“We are not interested in the key ministries, although we can manage them,” he said. “But we know the problems people suffer from, and we can service them.”

FJP deputy head Khairat al-Shater, told Al-Jazeera last week that the FJP is ready to form a coalition government consisting of all political forces in Parliament but “the people in power [the SCAF] refused the proposal.”

The formation of the government, or the cabinet of ministers, is the responsibility of the executive branch under Egyptian law, meaning that the SCAF is the only authority in the country capable of forming a government.

The FJP threatened to withdraw confidence from Ganzouri’s government if the situation further deteriorates before the handover of power. “Parliament can pass a vote of no confidence,” said Ahmed Abdel Rahman, an FJP MP.

Last Friday, a military source told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Ganzouri will continue to lead the government until the transfer of power takes place at the end of June.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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