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Egyptian parliamentary elections will be held on schedule: spokesman | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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This file photo shows a general view of the first Egyptian parliament session after the revolution that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak, in Cairo, on January 23, 2012. (Reuters/Khaled Elfiqi/Pool)


This file photo shows a general view of the first Egyptian parliament session after the revolution that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak, in Cairo, on January 23, 2012. (Reuters/Khaled Elfiqi/Pool)

This file photo shows a general view of the first Egyptian parliament session after the revolution that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak, in Cairo, on January 23, 2012. (Reuters/Khaled Elfiqi/Pool)

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—An Egyptian government spokesman on Wednesday denied rumors that the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections would be postponed until 2015.

The spokesman, Hossam El-Kawish, said: “The government did not discuss this issue at all, and the issue has not been suggested to it.” He added that the government “was committed to all parts of the [political] roadmap, which the Egyptian people accepted for the rebuilding of state institutions.”

A bill setting out the distribution of parliamentary seats across the country has yet to be announced, leading to rumors that the elections will be postponed until next year. The rumors have been fueled by demands from some political parties for extra time to prepare and organize their electoral lists.

Informed sources, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said the Constituencies Bill was ready, but could only be announced when reorganization of Egypt’s governorates was finalized.

Meanwhile, former Arab League chief and foreign minister Amr Moussa criticized the rumors, saying that the elections were an important part of the roadmap for Egypt’s political transition in the wake of the ousting of former president Mohamed Mursi in July 2013.

In a statement on Wednesday, Moussa said: “Demanding a review of the course on which all people agreed and even threatening to dismantle it is a dangerous issue.”

The parliamentary elections are the last part of the roadmap, and were preceded by the amending of Egypt’s constitution, completed in January, and the election of a new president, former armed forces chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, in May.

Yahya Qadri, deputy head of the Egyptian Patriotic Movement, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday that speculation about the postponement of the elections was caused by the fact that no law had been passed to define the constituencies, as well as the absence of public information on the issue.

Qadri said: “The sooner the elections take place, the better for Egypt, because that will lead to stability by completing the third requirement of the roadmap.”

In contrast, former MP Hamdi Al-Fakhrani has launched legal action to demand the postponement of the elections due to the security situation in the country. He said there were more than 60,000 candidates who would be holding parliamentary rallies which could be targeted by the Muslim Brotherhood, which could lead to civil unrest, especially in Upper Egypt.