Egypt leftist party to boycott elections

Egyptian leftist opposition party, the Popular Current, has announced that it will boycott the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections expected in April as well as national dialogue talks proposed by President Mohamed Morsi.

Heba Yassin, a spokesman for the party which is led by former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy, said on Tuesday that “We will neither participate in the national dialogue nor in the elections.”

Yassin added that the measure is aimed at protesting against “the elections law that we did not participate in drafting, and about which our opinion was not taken.”

Morsi has called for talks on Tuesday as part of an effort to ensure a free and fair vote on April 22.

Meanwhile the Egyptian president said in a television interview on Monday that “I see that the climate is very agreeable for an election.” Morsi, however, dismissed allegations that the elections were ill-timed.

Some Egyptian opposition groups have already threatened to boycott the elections, accusing Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood party of trying to monopolize power. The president rejects the allegation.

On February 8, thousands of Egyptian opposition protesters held demonstrations against Morsi after calls from nearly 40 opposition groups on the “Friday of dignity.”

Protesters called on Morsi to realize the goals of Egypt’s revolution that ended the 30-year-long dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Egypt’s parliamentary elections come at a time when unrest, insecurity, and an economic crisis have plagued the North African country.