Khaled Ali’s electoral campaign: Lift block on websites, end emergency state, extend publicity period for elections

Khaled Ali’s electoral campaign argued during a press conference on Tuesday that a number of measures need to be put in place to ensure that the upcoming presidential elections are fair.

These measures include: Ending the block on hundreds of websites, giving candidates the right to hold conferences and publicize their campaigns without fear of retribution under the protest or assembly laws and the ceasing of using public funds to support the candidacy of the current president.

Hala Fouda, secretary for rights and freedoms at the Egyptian Social Democratic Party is to head Ali’s campaign, and Khaled al-Balshy, former deputy head of the Journalists Syndicate, will be his official spokesperson.

A number of provisions in Egypt’s current legislation concerning elections contradict the Constitution, Ali's campaign argued, such as requiring candidates to hold higher education qualifications and not to have any physical or mental illness.

The campaign proposed extending the duration of the electoral process to 100 days instead of 50, banning the use of public funds for political campaigns and ensuring state media is not biased toward any candidates.

On January 3, an appeals court is due to review a sentence issued by the Dokki Misdemeanor Court on September 25, sentencing Ali to three months in prison over allegations that he made an inappropriate hand gesture after a court convicted him of involvement in Tiran and Sanafir protests.

Ali’s candidacy in the upcoming elections is dependent on the verdict in this case, as a conviction could deprive him of participation in elections, either as a candidate or voter. The charges against him are of committing a “dishonorable public act,” which Ali claims is not constitutional, as Egyptian law only stipulates against dishonorable acts regarding tax evasion.