Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

 Ousted MPs and opposition figures, in a privileged popular scene, have made a vow to the Egyptian people to move forward and end the legitimacy of the new Parliament, whose members swore today, chanting: "We swear by Allah Almighty, to preserve the safety of the nation and the Republican regime, attend to the interests of the people and respect the Constitution and the law". The vigil was organized by former members of parliament, including independents and opposition party members, who protested on Monday outside the State Council Court in the southern Cairo district of Doqqi amidst tight security and heavy media presence.

Nearly 100 supporters took to the streets to demonstrate their support for the cause and watch the former MPs take a constitutional oath to honor the will of the Egyptian population.

During the rally, the MPs argued that the new parliament, overwhelming dominated by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), was handpicked via aprocess of systematic electoral fraud and widespread vote-rigging, at the expense of opposition and independent candidates.

MPs read out their statement, which called for re-running the vote in a manner that reflects the will of the masses, especially after the court ruled electoral contests in 98 districts across Egypt null and void due to electoral transgressions,warning the concerned authorities of ignoring judicial rulings. They also pledged
to respect the Constitution, to ensure the legitimacy of the People’s Assembly,and to legally prosecute the corrupters.

Many Muslim Brotherhood deputies took part in the rally, namely: Dr. Ahmed Diab, deputy secretary-general of the MB parliamentary bloc, Sheikh Sayed Askar, Dr. Akram Al-Shaer, Eng. Ashraf Badr al-Din, Mohsen Radi, Gamal Hanafi, Adel Hamid, Mohamed Kasba, Dr. Hassan Yousef, and Kamal al-Din Nur al-Din. In addition to opposition MPs, Hamdeen Sabahi, Dr. Gamal Zahran, Mustafa Bakri,Alaa Abdel Moneim, Saad Abboud, Mohammed Al-Omda, and Mustafa Al-Gendy.

Many representatives of national political powers also took part in the rally,namely: Dr. Abdul Galil Mustafa, general cordinator of the National Association for Change (NAC) and Dr. Abdel-Halim Kandeel, the general coordinator of the Kefaya movement.

"We seek the establishment of a genuine parliament, a representative parliament,as opposed to the falsified parliament that exists today," Akram al-Shaaer, one of the 88 former MPs from the Muslim Brotherhood bloc in the last parliament. "The mandates of the parallel parliament will include monitoring the functions of the official parliament, and discussing proposed legislation, so as to ensure their accountability before the Egyptian people."

MP Mohamed Kasaba added that the parallel parliament would also serve to ensure that the official parliament is not controlled by foreign powers such as the US and Israel. He said that opposition leaders and independents remain steadfast in their pursuit of the implementation of court decisions that ruled electoral contests in 98
districts across Egypt null and void due to electoral transgressions.

Former leader of the independent bloc in parliament, Gamal Zahran, alleged that the ruling NDP does not honor basic democratic principles urging the immediate dissolution of what he termed the state-sanctioned People's Assembly.

Gamal Hanafi, a member of the MB parliamentary bloc, has emphasized that there have been several steps initiated by the deputies and members elected in 2005 to put an end to the massive electoral fraud. He added that he would continue the constitutional struggle to track down the NDP corrupters, indicating that the concerted efforts of the opposition and political powers behind one sublime goal is the most significant gain made during the last period. He thanked the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), which inadvertently united the views of the Egyptian opposition.

Another MP who lost his seat during the elections, Adel Hamed, said, "We hope that the Administrative Courts and the Supreme Constitutional Court will issue verdicts calling for the dissolution of this unrepresentative parliament. And we demand that their verdicts be respected, implemented and upheld."