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June 14, 2012

Egyptian Activists Launch Election Boycott; Court to Rule on Shafiq Candidacy 
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Ahmed Shafiq, who served as prime minister under ousted leader Hosni
Mubarak, will square off against Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed
Morsi in this weekend's runoff vote. A court is ruling today on whether
Shafiq is eligible to run under a law banning Mubarak-era officials. The
law was passed in April but a lower court later ruled parts of it were
unconstitutional. Egyptian activists meanwhile have unveiled a campaign
to boycott the vote, calling it a false choice under ongoing military
rule. Boycott organizer Tarek Shalaby said Egypt's military rulers have
effectively rigged the election to ensure their continued dominance.

Tarek Shalaby: "They're trying to show us that there's no other way for
the revolution to continue except for collaborating with SCAF (Supreme
Council of the Armed Forces) in this elections that have been made for
us. And obviously they make these elections customized specifically for
them, so that the result that comes out, whatever it is and whoever it
is, works perfectly for them. And that's why what we need to do is we
need to reject these elections, refuse to collaborate with them, and
make sure that we organize ourselves."

 

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