The cassation court’s order on Sunday to retry ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his interior minister Habib al-Adly has been received differently by legal experts regarding whether or not the re-trial could include new evidence and possibly new defendants.
GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION
Sources: Disputes simmer within FJP over Parliament electoral lists
As the country gears up for parliamentary elections, expected to be held within the next two months, sources say that the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party is being rocked by disputes over electoral lists. Party leaders and governorate deputies have been having disagreements on choosing candidates to head the electoral lists in the upcoming House of Representatives elections, as well as candidates for the individual seats. This came amid a tendency to nominate the party leading figures to compete for individual seats to leave places for young people and women on the lists. [Egypt Independent, 1/14/2013]
Activist: National Salvation Front backs female candidates, NSF to field one list
An Egyptian opposition activist said that the National Salvation Front is trying to give female activists more chances to lead electoral lists in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Mona Ezzat, the spokesperson of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, told Egypt Independent that its party is working with other members of the NSF to support female activists and give them the same number of slots as male candidates on the lists. The NSF also announced that it will participate on "one list across all constituencies nationwide in the coming parliamentary elections." [Egypt Independent, Ahram Online, 1/14/2013]
Also of Interest:
Constitution Party protesters call off sit-in | Ahram Online, DNE
Egypt’s Salvation Front demands 11 guarantees for parliamentary polls | Ahram Online
Brotherhood to declare its budget after parliamentary elections | Egypt Independent
Brotherhood puts forward three members for governorships | Egypt Independent
Survey: 63% satisfied with Morsi’s performance | Egypt Independent
Female under-representation in parliamentary elections criticized | DNE
COURTS & CONSTITUTION
Egypt’s legal experts await more evidence on Mubarak’s retrial
The cassation court’s order on Sunday to retry ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his interior minister Habib al-Adly has been received differently by legal experts regarding whether or not the re-trial could include new evidence and possibly new defendants. Zakaria Abdel-Aziz, a prominent Egyptian judge and former head of the Judges club, told al-Ahram’s Arabic website on Sunday that he expects new evidence and defendants for the judicial panel to consider when deliberating their verdict. [Ahram Online, DNE, EGYNews, 1/14/2013]
Also of Interest:
General Prosecutor lifts travel ban off 10 former-regime members | Ahram Online, Egypt Independent
ECONOMY
Egypt default risk minimal
In spite of the recent fall of the Egyptian pound to all-time lows, foreign exchange reserves dropping to USD15bn – half of what they were two years ago – and persisting doubts as to whether an agreement with the IMF will be reached before new parliamentary elections in April, external aid and continuing support from local banks will ensure the country meets all its upcoming obligations. According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Egypt’s gross financing needs amount to USD18.2bn in 2013. The IMF package, combined with aid pledges made by other the European Union, the World Bank, the African Development Bank and individual countries, will help plug USD15.3bn of that gap. The rollover of dollar-denominated T-bills, held for the most part by Egyptian banks, should provide an additional USD5.8bn, according to BofA Merrill Lynch. [Reuters, 1/14/2013]
Head of Egypt’s largest public bank resigns
The chairman Egypt’s largest public bank, the National Bank of Egypt (NBE), has resigned, a source familiar with the matter has told Ahram Online. According to the same source, Tarek Amer, who was in charge at the bank for five years, had presented his resignation several times during the rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces after the 2011 uprising, but it had been rejected. Employees of the bank organized a protest in objection to the resignation.[Ahram Online, Egypt Independent, EGYNews (Arabic), 1/14/2013]
Egypt sees talks with IMF ‘back on track very soon’
Egypt hopes to resume talks with the International Monetary Fund on a crucial $4.8 billion loan soon as it struggles to prop up an ailing economy wrecked by protracted political unrest. Egypt’s loan agreement was approved in principle in November, but subsequent turmoil forced the government to delay a series of bitter austerity measures deemed necessary to win the IMF board’s final approval. [Ahram Online, 1/13/2013]
Also of Interest:
Egypt stocks battered by political, economic uncertainty | Ahram Online
New finance minister to review sukuk law | DNE
SOCIETY & MEDIA
Unknown assailants using firearms and Molotov cocktails attacked tens of peaceful demonstrators staging a sit-in before Cairo’s presidential palace, leaving at least 14 injured late on Saturday. No deaths were reported. The perpetrators torched four of the tents set up by protesters in the vicinity of the palace, which has been a prominent venue for demonstrations against Islamist President Mohamed Morsi the past couple of months. [Ahram Online, DNE, 1/13/2013]
Imams protest Brotherhood influence on Endowments Ministry
Hundreds of Endowments Ministry imams staged protests on Sunday against what they called “brotherhoodization” of the ministry.
Mohammed al-Bastawisy, the chairman of the Independent Preachers Union, said the imams are being replaced by others from the Muslim Brotherhood.
“They are appointed on the basis of favoritism and not efficiency,” he said.
[Egypt Independent, 1/13/2013]
Also of Interest:
April 6 backs Ultras Ahlawy demands | Ahram Online, DNE
Protest to protect Egypt’s judges | DNE
Protesters to secure SCC during dissolution case | Egypt Independent
SECURITY & SINAI
Egypt’s police forms union; aims to develop MOI
Egypt’s Police Coalition held a forum Friday to discuss means of establishing a police union to defend police working rights. The meeting, held at the Police Club in Cairo’s Nasr City, announced a plan to elect five officers to represent the coalition for each of the governorates of Cairo, Alexandria, Giza, Qalyoubia, Assiut, North Sinai and Qena. The meeting also criticized the recent cabinet reshuffle that saw the sacking of Minister of Interior Ahmed Gamal al-Din. [Ahram Online, 1/12/2013]
Defense minister to study Sinai land ownership
Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is studying demands of the people of Sinai to own land, without violating his decision banning ownership at a distance of 5 km from the border, a military source has said. The source added that the minister requested Military Intelligence provide him with a list of the residents located within the 5 km to decide upon in a few days. [Egypt Independent, Shorouk (Arabic), 1/13/2013]
Egypt denies making "cluster bombs" for Syria
Egypt has quashed a report by Human Rights Watch on Sunday, claiming that Syria’s Al-Assad regime forces had allegedly used cluster bombs against the civilian citizens which were made by an Egyptian company called Sakr Factory for Development Industries. Major-General Dr. Mahmoud Khalaf, an adviser at Nasser Higher Military Academy, told the al-Ahram Arabic news website: "It is an easy matter to launch media accusations against Egypt and defame it, but to provide evidence is another issue. Egypt is a main target for many foes in the region, but will never be the ‘hat rack’ for talking about this kind of internationally band bombs." [Ahram Online, 1/14/2013]
Also of Interest:
Military source: US arms deal continuing despite lawmakers’ objections | Egypt Independent
Alexandria policemen allegedly beat and sexually abused prisoner | DNE
REGIONAL & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Swiss postpone return of stolen Egyptian funds over political uncertainty
Switzerland is postponing the return of 700 million Swiss Francs (US$767 million) in funds smuggled out of Egypt by members of former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. Switzerland’s attorney general decided Sunday to delay the funds transfer because of the uncertain political situation in Egypt, according to Swiss official news agency SDA. Egyptian authorities had requested Switzerland’s judicial assistance in retrieving the funds that members of Mubarak’s family smuggled there after the January 2011 uprising forced him to step down. [Egypt Independent, DNE, EGYNews (Arabic), 1/14/2013]
EU offers Egypt 5 bn euros to support economy, democratic transition
European Union President Herman Van Rompuy announced on Sunday that the EU had offered Egypt 5 billion euros (some $6.7 billion) in grants, loans and concession loans to support Egypt’s ailing economy and short-term democratic transition, stressing that agreement on a proposed $4.8 billion IMF loan would serve to encourage additional European financial support. [Ahram Online, DNE, 1/14/2013]
Photo: AFP/Getty
Image: Mubarak.jpg