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Egyptian Judges Demand Freedom in Poll Work
 Egyptâs judges decided yesterday to take part in the supervision of the Sept. 7 presidential poll but warned they would not endorse its result if their demands for more transparency were not met. The assembly of the judges â some of whom had favored a boycott â was tipped as an important measure of the credibility of Egyptâs first ever contested presidential election.Judgesâ syndicate chairman Zakariya Abdel Aziz read a resolution which was approved by a majority of the 2,500 judges who attended the meeting. He warned the electoral commission that if the 8,000 strong syndicateâs demands were not met, the pollâs transparency could not be guaranteed and that the judges would distance themselves from the result. âWe will tell the world that we cannot endorse the electionâs result,â he said. Egyptâs all-powerful electoral commission â which opposition groups charge is controlled by President Hosni Mubarkâs ruling party â has rejected the principle of other election monitors, Egyptian or international. One of the main conditions listed Friday by the judges was the presence in polling stations of monitors from civil society NGOs. Posted by: Fred 2005-09-03 |
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