Kamal Zakher, coordinator of the secular movement has stated: “Copts cannot have proper representation in the upcoming parliament, except in the range permitted on the voting lists, which is a nominal, or honorary representation, as we say. As for individuals, I expect that nobody will win, because the political climate is unchanged, so Copts will not have any significant presence in light of the surrounding culture. Perhaps the civilian movement will have better luck than Copts, but its presence will not have any impact, especially upon voting.”
Zakher requested a one-year delay of the upcoming parliamentary elections, clarifying, “We are facing real dangers concentrated in control of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Political Islam movement as well as that of remnants or supporters of the old regime, that is Mubarak’s regime, or we will be caught between a rock and a hard place.”
Zakher indicated that “Supporters of the Islamic movement are today playing a very hazardous game, appearing to be contradicting each other, yet any political observer will notice that this contradiction is phony and superficial, because they agree on the main goal, but differ on the means to achieve it. They all dream of reviving the Islamic Caliphate, especially since it resurfaced with the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928, a short period after the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1923. All Islamic groups are variants of a single tune.”
He clarified that they are exploiting the conflicts of the current phase, and the condition of poverty, intellectual and cultural backwardness, along with the media’s deterioration, so they are more capable of monopolizing the next parliament. Moreover, that the Constitutional status of Islamic bodies is not yet finalized.
He continued: “The other matter that drives us to call for a postponement of the parliamentary elections is that we are facing fierce terrorist attacks that threaten national security. Can the Interior Ministry’s authorities, along with the military, with their logistic capabilities, manage the parliamentary campaign as it did the presidential one?” He added, “I believe the matter is different here, because there are 400 sectors, as per the Constitution, so can they be controlled security-wise without any human losses?”
He continued, “We are now before a president who has announced several national projects that have restored hope and optimism, along with trust in the nation and amongst the people, so can we vote in a parliament that has the power to obstruct the steps taken by the president, or even has the power to remove the president from office?”
