April 6 (Photo: Sara Raslan)
The 6 April Movement announced in a press conference Wednesday that no one from the group will be running in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
"We would like to tell the people that if anyone runs in elections under the movement's name, they are not from us," said Mahmoud Afifi, 6 April spokesperson. He said the movement will be focused on preventing former regime members from running in the elections and taking office.
"We would like to get rid of everyone who had previously contributed to the chaos in the country," he added. "They don't have to be a former NDP member, if they contributed to negativity in the country then they are bad."
Afifi added that the movement will not back any candidates but will list characteristics they hope to see in those elected. He went on to explain the group's "black circle, white circle" campaign that aims to out candidates linked to the former regime.
The group also expressed disapproval of the newly amended Elections Law, which was approved by Essam Sharaf's government Sunday. "We request that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) listens to the people and political forces who are calling for the electoral process to be proportional lists," Afifi said.
Another elections related issue the group has been discussing is allowing Egyptians who live abroad to vote. "The movement totally supports Egyptians abroad voting in elections and we believe they suffer from not having their opinions or voices heard," said Ramy El-Swissy, the group's financial manager.
Aside from election issues, the 6 April Movement spokesperson announced the group will be joining demonstrations against emergency law and military trials in Tahrir Square this Friday, 30 September. "Emergency law has been used on activists instead of thugs and criminals," Afifi said.
"The Interior Ministry knows exactly where to find these thugs and what their names and addresses are. If security officials want to get rid of thuggery then they should urge the ministry to use full force to go out and arrest them."
Enjy Hamdy, the movement's media coordinator, said the six-month emergency law period since the January 25 Revolution has ended, making the current state of emergency invalid and illegal.
"First they took a law from the ousted Mubarak regime and imposed it on us after the revolution," Hamdy said. "Then they said it would be for a short period of time. Now that time period has ended, making it unconstitutional to continue imposing emergency law."
Afifi said that one of the reasons for Friday's demonstration is that all political forces have agreed that the military junta is trying to extend the transitional period in order to stay in power. "They are trying to do what happened in 1952," Afifi said in reference to the 23 July Revolution that left the military in power.
"We want a set date for presidential elections."
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