Egyptian opposition's push for reforms hits bumpy road

Cairo: A call by four Egyptian opposition parties for drastic constitutional reforms is unlikely to bear fruit any time soon, experts said.

"In the first place, these parties do not have enough clout either in the parliament or among ordinary Egyptians," said Mahmoud Faraj, a political analyst.

"Their call is part of the resurgence of political life in Egypt stirred by the homecoming of Mohammad Al Baradei," he added, referring to the former chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, who is a potential contender in Egypt's 2011 presidential elections.

The four secular parties of Al Wafd, Tagmuah, the Nasserists and the Democratic Front on Monday called for scrapping constitutional articles, which they said consecrate monopoly of power and hamper free elections.

"The key to democratisation in the next period is to cancel all restrictive constitutional articles, which monopolises power by a single person and give the executive power the upper hand over other powers," the four parties, members of the Coalition of Parties for Change, said in a statement.

They also urged for putting in place guarantees for free elections by setting up an independent commission of judges "who cannot be deposed" to supervise the whole election process.

While calling for co-operation among all political powers to "peacefully" bring about changes in Egypt, leaders of the four parties were keen to shun the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's banned but powerful opposition.

"The change we want is to enhance the civil state and the civil constitution, not to establish a theocracy," said Refaat Al Saeed, the chairman of the leftist Tagmuah Party, one of the four members of the coalition.

Their call came a few weeks after Al Baradei, an ex-Egyptian diplomat and a Nobel Laureate, set up a similar coalition comprising 30 activists across Egypt's political spectrum.

Late last year, Al Baradei said he is considering running for Egypt's presidency, but made his bid conditional on getting guarantees that the elections will be honest and free.

As an independent hopeful, he has to be endorsed by at least 250 members of the parliament and the local councils dominated by President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party.

Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981, said earlier this month that there are no restrictions on Al Baradei's candidacy, but "this should be governed by the constitution".

Mubarak, now recovering in Germany from gall bladder surgery, has yet to say if he will seek a sixth term. Last week, Safwat Al Sherif, the secretary general of Mubarak's party, ruled out constitutional changes.

"The ruling party as well as opposition are at pains to assert themselves and impress voters ahead of the legislative elections due to be held later this year," said Hatem Mahmoud, a professor of political science.   

"Neither is apparently concerned about the presidential elections, which will be held in September 2011," he told Gulf News. "The ruling party is eager to maintain the vast majority in the parliament and minimize the Islamists' influence."

The Muslim Brotherhood, whose members run as independents in elections, has a fifth of seats in the current Egyptian parliament.

"Secular opposition, which has a very few seats in the parliament, wants to get a new lease of life through getting united and fare better in this year's (legislative) elections," said Mahmoud.

"However, its hopes are unlikely to be fulfilled due to their lackluster performance and internal disputes over recent years. At the same time, there are tough restrictions imposed by the regime, which make it difficult for calls for reforms to see the light of the day," Mahmoud said.