BICOM

Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi yesterday predicted that parliamentary elections would finally get underway in October, six months after they had been scheduled to begin.

Political tension has been simmering in Egypt for some time, with Morsi being accused by opposition groups of attempting to appropriate powers for his Muslim Brotherhood faction rather than instituting an effective democracy for all Egyptians. He faced bitter opposition to a new draft constitution last year, which many believed granted him extra-judicial powers and when parliamentary elections were recently announced to take place next month, opposition groups swiftly announced their intention to boycott the poll. Since then, a court overturned Morsi’s call for elections, throwing the entire process into doubt.

Yesterday, according to Egyptian state news agency MENA, Morsi said that “Perhaps the elections will be held in the coming October.” He explained that passing a new election law would probably take two and a half months while preparations for the poll would need an additional two months.

Earlier this month, serious unrest took place on the streets of Cairo and the northern city of Port Said after the death sentence was handed down to 21 men found guilty of causing the deaths of 74 rival football supporters in a riot at a stadium in Port Said just over a year ago. There have also been intermittent strikes by sections of the country’s police force and judiciary over the past few months. In addition, Morsi faces a difficult economic situation and is in the process of negotiating a £3.1billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to relieve financial pressure, which may also necessitate the introduction of austerity measures.