Sabbahi Will Run Despite ‘Unconstitutional’ Ban On Appeals

Nasserist politician Hamdeen Sabbahi will contest the upcoming presidential elections despite criticising a new law that rules out appeals on poll results.

Sabbahi’s official presidential campaign announced on Thursday that the politician would contest the election, slated for the spring.

The campaign said that while preparing for the elections, the campaign would also fight “politically and judicially” against an “unconstitutional” article in the newly issued law aimed at regulating presidential elections.

Article 7 of the law, issued by President Adly Mansour last week, states that candidates cannot file court appeals against the election results.

The campaign described the article as threatening to the stability of the country and the political system as a whole.

The decision to include the article in the law was suggested by the High Constitution Court who agreed that appeals could delay the electoral process, cast doubts on the legitimacy of the next president, and thus impact national security, according to president’s legal advisor, Ali Awad, who announced the new law at a press conference last Saturday.

Sabbahi, who came third in the 2012 presidential race won by ousted president Mohamed Morsi, is the first candidate to formally confirm that he will run in the upcoming race.

Egypt’s military chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is widely expected to announce his candidacy also.

Source : Ahram online