Carter Center calls for Egypt to end crackdown on opponents

The US-based Carter Center says it is concerned about the political climate surrounding the upcoming constitutional referendum, referring to political polarization, a narrowed political space and the lack of an inclusive process in a statement released on Monday.

“To increase the credibility of this process, the center recommends that Egyptian authorities reverse the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition activists and rescind the recently enacted protest law that severely restricts public gatherings and rallies, including for electoral campaigning,” the statement said.

The center also called for the lifting of restrictions on Islamist media and the excessive use of violence by police. At the same it, it called on Egyptians to “refrain from acts of violence, incitement and intimidation.”

With regards to the referendum on the constitution, the Carter Center called on the government to release transparent information about results and campaigning rules, as well as any planned responses should the referendum vote fail to pass by a majority. It also called for full access to the electoral process for all Egyptian observer groups and parties.

The center will not be monitoring the overall process during the referendum, January 14 and 15, but is sending a small expert mission of 10 observers that will focus on broader legal and political issues surrounding the polls.

Meanwhile, the US-based Democracy International organization said Tuesday it will observe the two-day referendum, deploying 80 international monitors to 23 governorates.

The organization is one of several which submitted a request to witness and observe the vote.

Cabinet spokesperson Hani Salah, speaking Tuesday, said that the government has also agreed to allow a European Union mission to observe the referendum, the official State Information Services portal reported.

Salah said that European ambassadors were informed of concerns of violence during the vote, adding that the government will be strictly applying the Protest Law against any violators.