People's Representatives Coalition Explained

Country:Egypt
Coalition of the People’s Representatives
Foundation:October 2012[1]

The Coalition of the People's Representatives, or the Parliamentarians is a former electoral alliance in Egypt; members of the alliance have created the We Are the People Party.[2] The coalition was formed by former members of the National Democratic Party.

Gamal Abdel Maqsoud, who ran as an independent and won during the 2000 parliamentary election and the 2005 parliamentary election, has stated that the coalition had 190 candidates who were willing to run in the next parliamentary election.[3] The coalition intended to run with political parties that are non-religious.[1] The coalition was considering whether to join with the Conference Party, the Egyptian Popular Current, the Egyptian Nation Alliance, or the Egyptian Patriotic Movement as part of an electoral coalition. A document signed by prominent members of the Coalition of the People's Representatives emphasizes that no one should be excluded from the Egyptian political scene.[4] The constitution that was passed in December 2012 has a ban on former members of the NDP from taking part in any "political activities"; former members of the NDP are identified as “those who had been on 25 January 2011 members in the general secretariat of the NDP or its policies committee or its political executive office or former members in the parliament (the two chambers) in the two parliamentary seasons prior to the revolution."[5] A member of the National Salvation Front, Essam Shiha, has stated that the article only applies to a few hundred members, with roughly one thousand members banned out of the 2 million who were part of local councils or part of local NDP offices.[6] A draft of the 2014 constitution removed the ban on members of the NDP.[7]

References

  1. News: NDP holdovers, FJP look for allies ahead of Egypt's legislative polls. Ahram Online. 1 November 2012. 22 March 2014.
  2. News: Former MPs to form new party. Cairo Post. 31 January 2014. 22 March 2014.
  3. News: Former NDP lawmakers making fresh bid for office. Egypt Independent. 4 October 2012. 22 March 2014.
  4. News: Political alliances in the post-revolutionary Egypt. Al-Arabiya News. 2 October 2012. 22 March 2014.
  5. News: Seven instant changes occur in Egypt after constitution's ratification. Ahram Online. 27 December 2012. 22 March 2014.
  6. News: Ex-NDP members on opposition coalition lists for parliamentary elections. Egypt Independent. 9 January 2013. 22 March 2014.
  7. News: 22 Key Points in Egypt's New Draft Constitution. Al Monitor. 23 August 2013. 22 March 2014.