Tamarod, an activist group that came to prominence calling for the end of the Mohamed Morsi presidency in the run-up to the events of June 30 in 2013, has been denied from registering as a political party to participate in upcoming, long-delayed parliamentary elections.
The Parties Affairs Committee refused to accept Tamarod’s paperwork establishing it as a new party, Youm7 reported Wednesday.
It was added that the head of the committee, Counselor Anwar Al-Gabry, decided not to accept Tamarod’s application, and also denied the Arabic Popular Movement Party of Hosni Mubarak-era military Chief-of-Staff Samy Hafez Anan from registering as a party as well.
Gabry referred both groups’ papers to the Supreme Administrative Court for its final word on their dismissal
Tamarod member Mohamed Nabawy told Youm7 Wednesday the group’s papers were refused due to their governing structure, as they proposed having no party chief or central leadership, and instead to rule by committee.
Nabawy said that when the Parties Affairs Committee told the party to name a leader, they forwarded the name of Tamarod Secretary-General Mahmoud Badr, but the quick response caused inter-Tamarod conflict, so they scheduled an urgent meeting to re-determine their response.
“As we don’t have a stable sponsor to fund us, we couldn’t hire a legal expert to right the party regulations,” Nabawy said.
Tamarod also issued a statement following their rejected application, and said the group demanded amendments to allow a group without a party chief to run as a political party. The statement acknowledged the fact such an amendment would take time, and said the final decision would rest with the Supreme Administrative Court.
Tamarod spokesperson Abdelaziz Abdallah said in statements reported by Al-Shorouq Wednesday the group is also preparing a lawsuit against the Parties Affairs Committee. He added the lawsuit would be coming soon, as Tamarod seeks to be able to announce itself as an official party before the end of the year.
As for the Arabic Popular Movement Party, Youm7 reported Anan saying the rejection was for simple administrative measures related to the party headquarters that will be solved within days, and not for any legal reasons.
The parliamentary elections are the final step of the 2013 Roadmap, and were originally supposed to be held before the end of the year, according to previous statements by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. However, following multiple delays, the latest government timetable has them being held in March.
