Egyptian human rights organizations on Tuesday expressed doubt as to the prospects for free and fair parliamentary elections slated for 28 November.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Forum of Independent Human Rights Organizations pointed to "indications" that the political will on the part of the government to hold fair elections was "absent."
The forum, comprised of 16 non-governmental rights organizations, also stated that the ruling National Democratic Party of President Hosni Mubarak was "dominating" the the electoral process, restricting electoral oversight by civil society representatives, and rejecting international supervision of the parliamentary polls.
The forum went on to assert that Egyptian authorities work to restrict the right of all citizens to stand in elections and voters' rights to access information about the electoral process or the political orientations of respective candidates.
It also stated that the unprecedented intimidation of the media by authorities, limits on the right to peaceful assembly and political participation, and the limiting of candidates' electoral campaigns to only one week, all strongly suggested that upcoming elections would fall below international standards in terms of fairness and transparency.
Rather, the forum declared, elections would most likely be based on "corrupt legislation and domination by administrative and security services."
