Did Egyptian intelligence meddle in recent elections?
A political activist’s claim that the "For the Love of Egypt" alliance — which won many seats in the latest parliamentary elections — was established under the supervision of the intelligence services has divided Egyptians.
CAIRO — Complaints about Egypt’s recent parliamentary elections could indicate either electoral bias or just sour grapes, depending on whom you ask.
On Jan. 1, Hazem Abdel Azeem, a liberal political activist, posted on JustPaste.it “a testimonial on the president’s parliament.” He claimed that the For the Love of Egypt alliance, which won all 120 closed-list seats in the recent parliamentary election, was established under the supervision of Egypt’s General Intelligence Directorate and that the meetings about its establishment were held at GID headquarters.
Abdel Azeem said he was invited to those meetings, but he preferred to withdraw from the For the Love of Egypt alliance because of “the blatant interference” by the state agencies in the electoral process, considering it "non-neutral action," according to his post.
For the Love of Egypt’s electoral list included the Free Egyptians Party, the Wafd Party, the Nation's Future Party, as well as some independent candidates.
