Ex-NDP Party Members Permitted to Run in Egypt

Egypt’s supreme administrative court has ruled that former members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) will be permitted to run in upcoming parliamentary elections. After weeks of speculation on the status of the NDP, the party of former president Hosni Mubarak, dozens of former high-ranking members are reportedly planning to run as independents in the election, though Egypt’s High Elections Commission has not released a final candidate list yet. The court argued that it could not deprive former NDP members of “their right to participate in political life.” Mortada Mansour, a former NDP member, contended that his party should be permitted to compete for a role in the country’s future, stating that “if you want a democracy, just let the people be, and they will choose who they want,” he said. A New York Times article equates Egyptian citizens’ fear that “stealth [NDP] candidates who run as independents or in camouflaged parties will coalesce into a powerful bloc once in Parliament” to similar fears leveled against the Muslim Brotherhood under Mubarak’s regime.

Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr explained that the continued presence of Egypt’s ambassador in Syria “would allow for an of exchange points of view, contribute to finding a peaceful solution to the crisis, and prevent foreign intervention [in resolving the issue].” Egypt’s decision comes despite an Arab League recommendation that the member states withdraw their representatives from Syria.