Ex-candidate calls for early presidential polls in Egypt

Former presidential candidate Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh has called for early presidential elections in Egypt and for the formation of a non-partisan transitional government.

Abul-Fotouh, head of the Strong Egypt Party, urged President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to delegate executive authority to the prime minister and legislative authority to Egypt’s State Council.

According to Abul-Fotouh, the State Council’s responsibilities “should be limited to modifying defective laws and the issuance of laws related to transitional justice”.

Egypt has been dogged by instability since the military ousted elected President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 coup following protests against his administration.

Sisi, a former army chief who was elected president last year, currently holds legislative authority, as Egypt has yet to elect a parliament.

Abul-Fotouh also called for reforming Egypt’s Interior Ministry and granting amnesty to jailed opposition leaders who have not been convicted of any criminal offences.

He went on to call for a moratorium on death sentences and for holding swift trials for those involved in human rights violations.

Earlier this week, an Egyptian court sentenced Morsi – along with more than 100 others – to death on jailbreak charges. 

Morsi and his co-defendants, for their part, say the charges against them are politically driven.

Egypt detains senior Muslim Brotherhood leader

Meanwhile, Egyptian security forces have detained a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Guidance Bureau, the group’s main decision-making body.

In a Friday statement, the Brotherhood – outlawed by the Egyptian authorities since late 2013 – said that Mohamed Saad Elewa had been detained while on his way to seek medical treatment.

“The Muslim Brotherhood holds the criminal military coup authorities fully responsible for his [Elewa’s] safety,” the group said.

Egyptian authorities have yet to officially acknowledge Elewa’s detention.

A Brotherhood source told Anadolu Agency that Elewa had been detained late Thursday in Egypt’s Giza province, west of Cairo.

The crackdown on supporters of Morsi and the Brotherhood has left hundreds dead and thousands behind bars, including Morsi and Brotherhood supreme guide Mohamed Badie.