January 11th, 2011 by Naureen

Amr Hamzawy, writing at Babylon and Beyond, argues that despite President Hosni Mubarak acknowledging some violations in recent elections, he has failed to acknowledge the tactics behind the NDP’s success, which have hurt the legitimacy of the regime.  ”It is time for the government to let openness toward the opposition override its conceit. It is also time for the opposition to agree on a national agenda that favors dialogue with the government and can form the basis for needed constitutional and political reforms. Both sides must act before Egypt’s next major campaign — the presidential election later this year.”

International calls for political reform have not been favorably received. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki stated, “We value our friendship with many players around the world including the United States, but we cannot allow any country to dictate to us what it wants us to do or not do. Political, economic and social reform has to be done in a way that preserves stability and the fabric of society. It’s the government’s responsibility to see it happens this way.”

Posted in Egypt, Elections, Political Parties |