AFRICA/EGYPT - Coptic Patriarch Tawadros: the Church does not interfere in elections

Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - In the next parliamentary elections in Egypt, scheduled in the coming months of March and April, the Coptic Orthodox Church "will not point out any name" of a candidate to be supported and will not exercise "any interference" in the free choice of political representatives on behalf of the Egyptian people. This is how Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II expressed himself in some statements issued on Monday, January 10 on the occasion of the feast of the Coptic Epiphany.
Egypt has not had a Parliament since 2012, when the Constitutional Court dissolved the Parliamentary Assembly dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood by appealing to the lack of constitutionality of the electoral law. The new House of Representatives will consist of a total of 567 members. The electoral system reserves 120 seats to lists "blocked" by candidates nominated by different parties. Of these, at least 56 will have to be occupied by women, 24 by Christian candidates, from 32 Universities belonging to the social categories of farmers and 8 by people with disabilities.
Back in July, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II told the Bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church to refrain from any direct involvement in the election campaign. "This perspective – says to Agenzia Fides Anba Antonios Aziz Mina, Coptic Catholic Bishop of Guizeh - is shared by all the Churches in Egypt: to encourage to participate in the vote, leaving the free discernment of the faithful the choice on parties and candidates to vote. "The Muslim Brotherhood has been precluded by law the opportunity to submit its own list. But sectors of the population linked to the Muslim Brotherhood could support the candidates of the Al-Nour Party. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 20/01/2015)