Egypt Bans Slogans Threatening National Unity In Elections

Egypt’s Shura Council (upper house of parliament) on Tuesday banned using slogans which threat national unity in the election campaigns but keeping the deletion of a controversial clause that bans religious slogans, State-run Ahram Online reported.

The council approved banning slogans that may lead to discrimination among citizens upon religion, gender or origin in the electoral campaign without stipulating “religious slogans” in the article.

On April 3, the council passed a political rights law after deleting a controversial clause that bans religious slogans in election campaigns.

The cancellation of the clause triggered a walkout by liberal and Coptic lawmakers, who feared the new law will put them at disadvantage in future elections.

Some opposition parties said in a statement that the discussion at the parliament “violated the constitution and contradicted the principles of a civil state.”

Meanwhile the Salafist Nour party and Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party persisted in keeping deleting “religious slogans” from the clause.