Archive for Free Egyptians Party

Tourism up in 2012, but sector still in trouble, says minister

by admin
December 27th, 2012

About 10.5 million tourists visited Egypt from January 2012 to the end of November, an increase of 17.4 percent as compared to the same period in 2011. Tourism brought in revenues of US$9.37 billion this year, said Tourism Minister Hesham Zaazou.

“Indicators show there is a demand for Egypt as a tourist destination,” the minister said, stressing the need to develop the tourism industry.

Zaazou made the statement during a meeting of the General Assembly of the Egyptian Federation of Chambers of Tourism headed Elhamy al-Zayat on Wednesday evening.

However, political events that have occurred since November — including President Mohamed Morsy’s passing of a controversial constitutional declaration, and the protests against the constitutional referendum that led to deadly clashes — resulted in a 25 percent loss in occupancy rates at various tourist destinations at the end of the year, Zaazou said. There was also a decrease in tourism investments, and some existing investments were halted due to the unrest.

Egypt loses about 18 thousand seats on regular flights for various airlines operating in Egypt each week, Zayat said, claiming that this represents a disaster for the tourism sector, as the tourists who arrive on these flights are typically top spenders.

Low hotel occupancy rates during the tourism season add to the crisis, Zayat said. At times occupancy rates only reached 5 percent in some destinations, leading to a steep decline in prices — some hotels have reduced their rates to US$15 per night, which includes three meals, he added.

Zayat said that many companies cannot pay their employees, resulting in more than 400 thousand workers abandoning their jobs in the tourism sector over the past two years.

The meeting was followed by a national dialogue meeting for tourism that was attended by representatives of the Freedom and Justice Party, the Nour Party, the Wafd Party, the Free Egyptians Party, the Wasat Party and the Generation Party.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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April 6 accuses Jama’a al-Islamiya of assaulting members in Minya

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December 20th, 2012

The April 6 Youth Movement accused two Jama’a al-Islamiya members of fracturing one of its member’s noses as he was distributing leaflets in Minya Tuesday urging citizens to vote against the draft constitution.

The activist organization claimed the assailants are the brothers of two prominent members of the Construction and Development Party, the political arm of the conservative Islamist organization Jama’a al-Islamiya. They say the victims filed a complaint. 

The incident comes amid an increasing rift between the opposition and Islamists over the constitutional referendum, the second phase of which is scheduled for Saturday. While most Islamists are endorsing the draft constitution, many secular forces say it is not representative of the people and are lobbying against it.

The Free Egyptians Party issued a statement condemning the assault and accusing Jama’a al-Islamiya of violating a “code of honor” the group's party had called for before the incident.

The Construction and Development Party called on opposition forces in Minya to approve a document guaranteeing nonviolence and protecting people's right to vote and campaign for or against the draft constitution, the statement said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Opposition expected to go to army unity talks

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December 12th, 2012

Egypt's main opposition coalition is expected to attend Wednesday's unity talks called by the army to help end a political crisis and is discussing the level of representation, a member of the National Salvation Front's leadership said.

"We will be represented. That is the plan so far," Ahmed Said, who is also the head of the liberal Free Egyptians Party, told Reuters. "We are starting a meeting to decide the level of representation," he said shortly before the group convened.

He said the choice was for individuals to represent their parties at the talks, which Islamist President Mohamed Morsy is expected to attend, or for the front to send a delegation. The coalition boycotted talks last week convened by the president.

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Shubra march heads to Tahrir as protester dies from teargas

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November 27th, 2012

Thousands of protesters are converging on Tahrir Square from various points around Cairo to protest President Mohamed Morsy’s constitutional declaration, as one protester was reported to have died after fainting from teargas exposure.

A march starting in the Shubra neighborhood north of Cairo, led by former presidential candidate Khaled Ali, arrived in the square late Tuesday afternoon. Earlier news reports had said that Constitution Party leader Mohamed ElBaradei would lead the march.

The classic chants of the revolution came back in loud roars, with protesters shouting "The people want to bring down the regime," as well as newer slogans such as "Bread, freedom, down with Constituent Assembly."

Several other political parties also participated in the march, including the Free Egyptians party, The Social Democratic Party, Adl Party, Socialist Popular Alliance Party and the Revolutionary Socialists Movement. Protesters chanted “Leave, leave” and “the people want to bring down the regime.”

Activist and Constitution Party member Abdel Rahman Mansour said that the opposition is finally able to rally masses to the streets after a long period of failures.

“Now I can say the myth that the opposition doesn’t know how to mobilize is gone forever. …Welcome to the new Egypt,” Mansour tweeted.

Hundreds of political forces including April 6 Youth Movement, Free Egyptians Party, Egyptian Social Democratic Party, Constitution Party and Tagammu Party, also gathered Tuesday evening outside the  al-Fateh Mosque to begin marching to Tahrir. Protesters raised flags for their political parties and banners rejecting the constitutional declaration.

Free Egyptians Party secretary general in Ain Shams Mohamed al-Koumy said the march calls on Morsy to cancel the declaration. "We will bring down the regime if he does not respond. We will stage a sit-in, then announce a general strike."

"We brought Mubarak's regime down in 18 days and we will knock Morsy and his group over in less than that."

Meanwhile, a protester was reported dead Tuesday as a result of the protests.

Talaat Fahmy said Fatehy Gharib, 60, from Matareya, died Tuesday in a downtown hospital of teargas exposure.

“The security forces threw tear gas near the Socialist Popular Alliance Party’s tent in front of the Mugamma, after which Fatehy fainted,” Fahmy told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

“Fatehy was transferred to the intensive care unit at Helal Hospital where his death was announced 15 minutes later,” Fahmy said. “They killed him with tear gas. I am on my way to the hospital and lawyers are on their way to submit a complaint about the incident.”

The marches from neighborhoods throughout Cairo join thousands of protesters already in the square, chanting, “The people demand the fall of the regime,” “Down with the [Brotherhood] Supreme Guide’s rule” and “Mohamed Morsy is Mubarak.”

University students and retired officers were also present in the square, and a Wafd Party march led by party head Al-Sayed al-Badawy had set off from its headquarters towards Tahrir.

“The constitutional declaration is an assault on statehood and the rule of law,” said Mohamed Shaaban, a lawyer. “The president is seeking seize all powers, but the people will not remain silent until he moves back.”

Dozens of students affiliated with political parties also marched across Ain Shams University to the Tahrir protests, raising banners reading, “No to the new constitutional declaration.” Some students said they would take the metro to join a march staged from Cairo University.

Several political parties had called for the protests after Morsy’s declaration last Thursday significantly expanding his powers and declaring the Constituent Assembly and Shura Council immune from judicial review.

Meanwhile, dozens of Muslim Brotherhood students distributed statements at Ain Shams University reading, “The main goal of the recent constitutional declaration is Egyptians’ interests, in order to hold retrials of protesters’ killers and allocate pensions to the injured and martyrs, as part of their rights.”

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Tahrir calm before anti-Morsy protests

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November 27th, 2012

 

Tahrir Square was calm Tuesday morning ahead of massive protests called for by secular political groups to voice opposition to a constitutional declaration President Mohamed Morsy issued on Thursday, granting him unchallengeable legislative powers.

Political forces intend to stage three peaceful marches setting off for Tahrir Square from Sayyeda Zeinab and Fatah mosques in Cairo, Mostafa Mahmoud mosque in Giza, and Dawaran Shubra. Meanwhile, Egyptian musicians and artists’ syndicates said in a joint statement late Monday their march will move from the Opera House to Tahrir Square.

Among the most notable organizers there are the Egyptian Popular Current, the Constitution Party, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the Karama Party, the Free Egyptians Party, the April 6 Youth Movement, Kefaya and the Maspero Youth Union.

The Ministry of Health has deployed a number of ambulances at streets nearby the square. Protesters have erected a field clinic to treat the wounded in case of violence.

A controversial declaration

President Mohamed Morsy issued a constitutional declaration on Thursday protecting his decrees from judicial challenges, and removed controversial Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud. He also shielded the Constituent Assembly and the Shura Council from dissolution.

The move sparked an uproar among judges, as well as non-Islamist movements that had called for massive protests on Tuesday in Tahrir Square.

The Muslim Brotherhood, of which Morsy was a former leader, had previously called for parallel demonstrations to support his decisions, but cancelled the protests to “avoid potential tensions and violence,” according to a statement by official spokesperson “Mahmoud Ghozlan.”

Edited translation from MENA


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Presidency says Constituent Assembly to continue drafting constitution

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October 24th, 2012

Political forces agreed during a meeting with President Mohamed Morsy Wednesday that the constitution drafting process should be concluded rapidly, and that Egyptians will have the final say in approving it, said presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali.

Ali said Morsy held a national dialogue with 65 representatives of political parties, trade unions, and universities on Wednesday at the presidential palace to discuss the future of the country.

Ali’s statements imply that the current Constituent Assembly will go on with the drafting process regardless of concerns expressed by the forces that boycotted today’s meeting.

According to the privately-run news website Albedaiah, more than a dozen political parties and forces refused to accept the invitation of the president, citing what they called a lack of certainty that the meeting was serious in light of Morsy preserving the current Constituent Assembly.

The parties that boycotted the meeting included the liberal Constitution Party, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the Arab Democratic Nasserist Party, the leftist Karama Party, the Free Egyptians Party, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the centrist Adl Party, and the Popular Current.

“We do not like the position of boycotting, but we respect it,” Ali said. “We respect all positions.”

“Difference in opinion is healthy,” Ali added. "This is the democracy we sought and that the Egyptians struggled for.”

Ali said that all parties were invited to the meeting, as Morsy is keen on informing the political forces of all internal and external political developments.

He also said that the political forces agreed in the meeting on a need for a constitution at this stage in order to achieve stability and attract investments.

The president also discussed differences over the Constituent Assembly, including six suggestions presented by the Wasat Party, and called for dialogue on the contentious articles in the new constitution.

“The president does not wish to impose the Constituent Assembly,” Ali said. “He will not form another assembly unless this one is dissolved by the judiciary.”

He pointed to Morsy’s assertion that he is working toward quickly finishing the interim period with the drafting of the constitution then holding parliamentary elections.

“He also told [meeting participants] that combating corruption is his top priority,” Ali said, adding that some suggested purging state institutions that operate using the logic of the former regime. Others stressed the need to listen to the demands of the workers at this stage.

“The president will meet again with the political forces after the Eid holidays,” he said. “He will discuss the law on parliamentary elections in order to reach consensus over it.”

The National Association for Change called for suspending the current Constituent Assembly until the Supreme Constitutional Court rules on the law that governed its formation. It said in a statement that the first draft of the constitution does not reflect popular consensus or the spirit of the 25 January revolution.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Reconciliation committee quells sectarian strife in Minya

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October 21st, 2012

In an attempt to calm the tense sectarian atmosphere in the village of Bani Hassan in Minya, customary reconciliation committees held a meeting between two families, resulting in them waiving charges and agreeing to resolve the dispute amicably. They also agreed to be fined LE300,000 if they breached the deal.

A Coptic family had clashed with a Muslim family that tried to install a lamppost near its house, injuring four people.

In the same village, the Free Egyptians Party warned of a “massacre” after certain leaflets inciting the killing of Coptic Christians were distributed by the followers of Ali Hussein. Hussein was killed after he was accused of murdering a Christian and his son, and attempting to kidnap his wife.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Constitution and Justice parties to merge

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September 27th, 2012

The Constitution Party and the Adl Party, led respectively by Mohamed ElBaradei and Emad Sayed Ahmed, agreed to merge on Thursday.

“The Adl Party and the Constitution Party will work together for freedom and social justice in Egypt,” ElBaradei wrote on Twitter.

The two parties share the same vision, Ahmed said.

The Constitution Party was formally recognized by the Egyptian authorities in mid-September. The party was co-founded by ElBaradei, the former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a Nobel Prize laureate.

Hesham Akram, a member of the Adl Party's coordinating committee, told Al-Masry Al-Youm in May that the party had agreed with the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and the Free Egyptians Party to create a united front prior to the formation of the Constitution Party, with the goal of merging with it as soon as it was established.

Edited translation from MENA

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Interruptions, clashes during Constituent Assembly case hearing

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July 17th, 2012

The court reviewing the Constituent Assembly case suspended the trial session for a second time and decided to hold it in another hall due to crowds and shouting.

Dozens of Muslim Brotherhood members also rallied before the State Council, demonstrating against the lawyers who filed the lawsuit and calling on the court not to dissolve the Constituent Assembly. They also demanded the purging of the judiciary and the cancellation of the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration.

Clashes also erupted between Muslim Brotherhood members and Free Egyptians Party members, with the latter rejecting pressure on the judiciary and calling on the Administrative Court to rule according to the law. Bystanders intervened to end the clashes.

Several Muslim Brotherhood lawyers submitted requests demanding the recusal of the Administrative Court panel presided over by Abdel Salam al-Naggar.

 Edited translation from MENA and Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Monday’s papers: Morsy checkmates SCAF over Parliament

by admin
July 9th, 2012

President Mohamed Morsy has only been in office for one week, but he has made a seemingly bold move to challenge the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces — which still holds more power than him — by calling for the dissolved Parliament to reconvene.

“Morsy to the army: Checkmate,” privately owned newspaper Al-Watan’s headline reads.

The Freedom and Justice Party paper says: “The president is victorious for the people,” a play on the word “people” in Arabic, which also refers to the People’s Assembly, the lower house of Parliament.

Freedom and Justice is the party paper of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, the Islamist movement from which the president hails.

Last month, a Supreme Constitutional Court ruling dissolved Parliament, deeming one-third of the seats unconstitutional.

The president’s decision calls for parliamentary elections to take place 60 days, after a new constitution is in place and a new law for Parliament is passed.

Privately owned Al-Shorouk quotes Mohamed Fouad Gadallah, a legal adviser to Morsy, as saying the decision is “sound and follows legal and constitutional principles.” It also reports that the SCAF convened until late last night to discuss Morsy’s decision.

Thousands gathered in Tahrir Square yesterday to celebrate the move after the FJP’s Facebook page called on its supporters to do so. In the governorates, various political party members received the news with mixed reactions, though, according to Al-Shorouk. While Islamists hailed it as a victory, the liberal Free Egyptians Party was apparently deeply upset by the decision, saying it is illegitimate.

State-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper also reports on the various political parties’ reactions. Liberal party paper Al-Wafd says “the country is entering into a phase of confrontation between authorities, and Parliament will be a place of popular and legal disputes.”

It remains to be seen how this apparent showdown with the military will develop, given that a constitutional amendment issued by the army last month removed any legislative power from the president.

Also, it should become clearer over the next few days whether this really is a confrontation with the military, as Morsy is attending a military graduation ceremony Monday and has been seen jovially standing by the side of SCAF head Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. 

Al-Akhbar takes the question of a supposed confrontation between the army and Brotherhood further on page 11, saying that four main issues face president: a battle with Salafis over the issue of Sharia in the constitution, the vice presidency, a crisis with opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei and the revolutionary youth over various promises, and a battle with the deep state. 

In other presidential news, Morsy received US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns on Sunday with a message from US President Barack Obama, which stressed the importance of an elected Parliament and a constitution that protects human rights. Morsy has been invited to the US for a meeting with Obama in September.

Privately owned Al-Tahrir newspaper frames the Burns visit with the timing of Morsy’s decision on Parliament to suggest one might have had influence over the other. “The decision came after a meeting with Obama’s aide that called for an elected Parliament,” one of its front-page headlines reads.

The formation of the Cabinet and the appointment of a new prime minister are ongoing. Senior Muslim Brotherhood leader and businessman Khairat al-Shater, widely understood to be the real power behind Morsy, is said to be a favorite candidate of the group.

Unnamed Muslim Brotherhood sources tell Al-Shorouk that the person they are looking for to take the prime minister post must have strong knowledge of the economy and be experienced in running state affairs. Hazem al-Beblawy, a former finance minister who is not a member of the Brotherhood, is also being considered for the post, according to the paper. Central Bank of Egypt Governor Farouk al-Oqda has also been suggested, though the report seems to dismiss this as a genuine possibility because of his commitments at the central bank.

Privately owned Youm7, along with other papers, reports on the burning of pictures of Morsy outside the presidential palace yesterday by rights lawyers who demand an end to the issue of nepotism and inheriting positions in judicial authorities.

Youm7 also leads with an exclusive story about whether the Brotherhood’s Shater has bought the newspaper. On pages nine to 11, the paper dispels this myth, saying he does not own the paper and that the rumor was begun by those “tired from our success.”

Egypt’s papers:

Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt

Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size

Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run

Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run

Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned

Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned

Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned

Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party

Youm7: Daily, privately owned

Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned

Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party

Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned

Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party

Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party

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