CAIRO: The Free Liberal Egyptians Party (Al Masryeen Al Ahrar) lashed out on Tuesday after political parties decided to nominate Saad el-Katatni, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), for speaker of parliament on Monday. The Party said that the decision does not represent a consensus, claiming that it comes as a way to circumvent the people's will. Party members said that this decision should be made by the entire parliament, taking into account the factors of eligability and efficiency. The Free Liberal Egyptian Party also called for a change in the internal regulations of the parliament's People's Assembly in order to minimize the role of the speaker. The Party said that it did not attend the meeting on Monday, which was held at FJP headquarters, because it represented what they called “deals agreed upon in the dark.” Party members said that the move is a reproduction of the habits of former President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). In the statement published on Tuesday, the Free Liberal Egyptians Party said that it will continue to resist any parties' attempts at monopolizing the drafting of Egypt's next constitution, which stands as the new parliament's first task. The statement went on to explain that the Free Liberal Egyptians Party will seek to build a national consensus among the various political forces at play in Egypt in order to develop a constitution that reflects the will of the Egyptian people, and that it is open to all political forces. They also announced their withdrawal from the Egyptian Bloc, known as El Kotla El Masrya, a coalition of three liberal parties, as it was involved in Monday's meeting. “When we called for the launching of the bloc, we called for establishing a common ground to defend fundamental values of the Egyptian state,” read the statement. A number of parties convened at FJP headquarters on Monday to announce their support for Saad El-Katatni's nomination. El-Katatni, the secretary-general of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), would be the first Islamist speak of parliament in Egypt's history. The Freedom and Justice Party won the single largest share of seats in the upcoming parliament, with more than 45 percent of seats. They were followed in second by the more conservative; Salafi al-Nour Party, which now controls 25 percent of seats. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/sSOOF Tags: Egypt parliament, Free Liberal Egyptians Party, Freedom and Justice Party, Saad el-Katatni Section: Egypt, Latest News
