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MENASource

Nov 17, 2011

News Update: November 17, 2011

By Mara Revkin

Some political parties – including al-Ghad al-Thawra and Tagammu’ – have agreed to support the supra-constitutional principles as long as Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmi’s latest revisions are implemented, but most Islamist forces reject the amendments and are still calling for a mass demonstration on November 18. Although the Brotherhood has not yet announced its […]

MENASource

Nov 17, 2011

Working Group on Egypt releases statement on conditioning aid to Egyptian military

By Michele Dunne

Amidst signs that Egypt’s ruling military council is seeking to preserve and expand its political and economic privileges in the post-Mubarak system, journalists, activists and NGOs are facing a repressive crackdown, sectarianism is escalating, and the civilian police force has failed to fully restore security and public order. As the military council continues to resist […]

MENASource

Nov 17, 2011

How will the supra-constitutional principles be amended?

By Michele Dunne

As the threat of a large anti-SCAF demonstration scheduled for Friday November 18 looms, reports are trickling out of a new set of concessions that Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmi made after meetings with political parties and prospective presidential candidates over the last few days.  It is not entirely clear what al-Selmi conceded, or whether […]

MENASource

Nov 16, 2011

News Update: November 16, 2011

By Mara Revkin

Several political forces and presidential candidates have reportedly reached an agreement with Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmi on amendments to the heavily criticized constitutional principles. The Brotherhood and Islamist groups, however, rejected the agreement and threatened to escalate street protests leading to a “new revolution” on January 25, if the draft document is ratified.

MENASource

Nov 16, 2011

EgyptSource blogger Magdy Samaan speaks on elections and censorship

By Mara Revkin

EgyptSource blogger Magdy Samaan spoke at an event co-hosted by the Hariri Center, the Wilson Center and Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) in Washington announcing the blog’s launch and previewing Egypt’s elections. Michele Dunne, director of the Hariri Center, participated in the discussion with panelists Magdy Samaan and Ibrahim Houdaiby (who joined the conversation […]

MENASource

Nov 15, 2011

News Update: November 15, 2011

By Mara Revkin

The Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and other major political forces signed a statement threatening to stage mass protests on November 18 if the SCAF refuses to withdraw its controversial draft constitutional principles by November 16.  Meanwhile, a major court ruling affirmed the right of former NDP members to compete in upcoming elections.  Semi-official […]

MENASource

Nov 15, 2011

Charting Egypt’s New Political Terrain

By Mara Revkin

Jacopo Carbonari has shared via The Arabist a schematic diagram that sheds some much-needed light on the relative ideological orientation of Egypt’s political parties. In addition to positioning the parties along two axes — religious/secular and left/right — the map shows the distribution of parties among the four major coalitions: 1) the FJP-dominated Democratic Alliance; […]

MENASource

Nov 14, 2011

Monitoring Egypt’s Chaotic Electoral System

By Ahmed Morsy

Egypt is preparing for its first real multi-party parliamentary elections without the grip of Hosni Mubarak and his abolished National Democratic Party (NDP), ousted over nine months ago. The electoral law finally announced on October 8 has made the Egyptian electoral system one of a kind: with 2/3 of parliament to be elected via proportional […]

MENASource

Nov 14, 2011

MB or FJP? The Brotherhood’s Branding Problem

By Hafsa Halawa

 Much has been said and written since January about the influence, power and fear of the Muslim Brotherhood and its role in Egyptian politics post-Mubarak. A well organized, structured and financed organization that has grown considerably in strength since its establishment by Hassan El Banna in the late 1920s, the Brotherhood and its official political […]

MENASource

Nov 14, 2011

News Update: November 14, 2011

By Mara Revkin

Parties and movements are divided on whether or not to participate in a protest planned for November 18 to demand a swift transfer of power to civilian leadership and reject the supra-constitutional principles. The Brotherhood-dominated Democratic Alliance and most major Islamist forces including the Salafi Nour Party have issued statements rejecting the principles, but Tagammu’ […]