Brotherhood Groups To Be Banned From Monitoring Referendum

The Egyptian government is building a list of organisations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood in order to ban them from monitoring the referendum on the newly-drafted constitution.

Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity Hany Mehenna announced on Sunday that the list will be submitted to the Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) by the end of the week.

Earlier on Sunday, a source from the SEC told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that the committee has given the ministry until 10 January to send an official list of Muslim Brotherhood organisations.

If the ministry fails to submit the list, the source explained, Brotherhood-affiliated groups will be given permits to monitor the poll scheduled for 14 and 15 January.

The Brotherhood-led National Alliance to Support Legitimacy is determined to boycott the referendum, describing it as null and void and carried out under “a fascist military coup.”

On Wednesday, Egypt’s interim government officially declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group. The decision came after the deadly bombing Tuesday in the Delta city of Mansoura that killed 16 people.

The government has blamed the Islamist group for orchestrating attacks on its buildings and security personnel since the ouster of Morsi. The Muslim Brotherhood denies the accusations.

On Thursday, Ezzat Khamis, assistant to the minister of justice, announced that a total of 132 Brotherhood leaders saw their assets frozen in the execution of a judicial ruling to ban all their activities and confiscate their assets.

Neither the value of the confiscated assets nor the names were revealed.

Source : Ahram