Sabahi's party will not run in parliamentary elections

The Egyptian Popular Current Party, led by former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, announced that it will not participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for this year, a senior party member revealed.

In exclusive statements to the Anadolu Agency, Masoum Marzouk, a co-founding member of the party, said the party will announce its decision “in an official statement to be issued later”.

Marzouk pointed out that his party took the decision after “President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi adopted the new parliamentary election law in its current form ignoring demands to amend some of its articles.”

He added that the general climate and the decline of freedoms and restrictions imposed on young people have prompted the party leaders to take the decision, especially because “the majority of our members are young people”. There is a feeling that the current election law paves the way for the return of the National Democratic Party and the old regime, he explained.

Marzouk ruled out that his party would change its decision. “We have exhausted all means of persuasion and appeal, but to no avail,” he said.

The Democratic Alliance for Egypt which includes the Popular Current party said: “The draft election law was biased to the rich and marginalises political parties and political life.” It urged the president to amend it.