Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

 The MB students earlier yesterday launched a propaganda campaign for their candidates to the student union election, chanting pro MB slogans and songs; they ended their tour with a large rally at the University.” It is our legal right to stand for the election, and we should not abandon that right”, said Mahmoud Kotb the spokesman of the MB students and the coordinator of the election process.

Kotb condemned the obstacles placed in the way of candidates and violations on the part of the authorities, saying this belies the promises of the university president that the election would be held in better atmospheres than that of the previous years.

He called on the university administration not to strike names off the election lists as is the case in the past 8 successive years, warning that this could trigger an unprecedented reaction on the part of the university students. He laid stress that the university is in bad need of a fair and free election that reflects the students’ wishes and aspirations rather than the dictates of the security agencies, lamenting that the university has become a fertile land for security excesses and harassments.

In his word, MB candidate Omar Fahmi, who stands for the Student Union Secretary General, pointed out that standing for the election is a right of each student to take advantage of the services rendered by the Union to the students, as well as to stand up against the so many deviations within the Union including the embezzlement of public funds and the rise of the prices of textbooks, as well as the absence of the political and religious awareness. Reviewing electoral program of the MB student candidates, MB candidate and student of Faculty of Engineering Ahmed Hassan said that the most prominent items of the MB program run as follows:

-Provision and defending of students’ rights in coordination with the incumbent bodies within the university.

-Defending public freedoms of students as possible as we could, by setting up a linkup which embraces a grouping of human rights organizations to be concerned with the students rights.

- Cooperation with all concerned with students affairs in terms of maintaining their freedoms and rights.

It is noted that the MB students in Cairo University earlier this year applied for candidacy in ten faculties , including Dar el Oloum, Science, Medicine and Engineering.

Farce in Alexandria :

In the same context, the SU election in Alexandria University witnessed a farce after the university officials gave rein to security agencies to select pro regime candidates while excluding opposition especially from the MB students. This security interference led to faculties announcing the win of their candidates unopposed and thus refraining from holding election.

 However, the unprecedented farce took place in the Faculty of Law which opened the door for candidacy for one hour and held the election on the same day, although the election was supposed to be held next Thursday according to the law. Many of the MB students were struck off the election lists, and therefore, they lodged lawsuits before the administrative judiciary to claim their right to stand for the election.

In Alexandria faculties also , a substitute student union was announced and conditions and procedures for candidacy were made public.

 The door for candidacy will be open from Saturday to Tuesday of next week, with the election being held on Wednesday and the candidate receiving his/her posters and election credentials from the incumbent offices in the university.

It is noted that this free student union witnessed election last year where over 250 candidates stood for the election and more than 12000 students participated, using glass ballot boxes and secret ink.

 In spite of its limited financial potential, the union has offered a number of services and activities in the interest of students in all faculties and throughout the year.

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