Egypt denies 8 US nonprofits license to operate
CAIRO, Apr 24 (AP/UNB) - Egyptian authorities have denied permission to eight American nonprofit groups to operate locally, including a center headed by former President Jimmy Carter that monitors elections, a ministry official says.
The move to deny permission to The Carter Center and others comes only a month ahead of Egypt's first presidential elections since the ouster of longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak last year. The rejection of Carter's organization, which tries to ensure free and fair elections by observing votes around the world, raises doubts about whether Egypt's crucial ballot will be transparent.
The licenses were denied because the groups' activities "breach the country's sovereignty," the Social Affairs Ministry official said Monday. He also warned that if any of the groups attempt to operate without permits they will be penalized in accordance with the law, which makes it unlikely that The Carter Center would be allowed to observe the upcoming vote.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The presidential race is already wracked with tension after the election commission disqualified 10 candidates, including the two top Islamist front-runners.
Many Egyptians question whether the military rulers who took over when Mubarak stepped down are ready to submit to civilian oversight that could curb their power.
On Monday the generals approved legislation passed by the Islamist-led parliament to ban officials from the Mubarak regime from running in the presidential elections, a security official said.
Now the elections commission must rule if candidates such as Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, are allowed to stay in the race, since he applied to run for president before the law was approved.
Liberals and Islamists held one of the largest protests in months on Friday, accusing the country's military rulers of working behind the scenes to push a candidate to power who will protect their interests. Speaking during an army exercise on Monday, Egypt's military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi denied his council of generals is backing a presidential candidate.
"The next president will be the choice of the people without any imposition or guardianship from anyone," he said in remarks carried by the official state news agency MENA.
The move to deny permission to The Carter Center and others comes only a month ahead of Egypt's first presidential elections since the ouster of longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak last year. The rejection of Carter's organization, which tries to ensure free and fair elections by observing votes around the world, raises doubts about whether Egypt's crucial ballot will be transparent.
The licenses were denied because the groups' activities "breach the country's sovereignty," the Social Affairs Ministry official said Monday. He also warned that if any of the groups attempt to operate without permits they will be penalized in accordance with the law, which makes it unlikely that The Carter Center would be allowed to observe the upcoming vote.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The presidential race is already wracked with tension after the election commission disqualified 10 candidates, including the two top Islamist front-runners.
Many Egyptians question whether the military rulers who took over when Mubarak stepped down are ready to submit to civilian oversight that could curb their power.
On Monday the generals approved legislation passed by the Islamist-led parliament to ban officials from the Mubarak regime from running in the presidential elections, a security official said.
Now the elections commission must rule if candidates such as Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, are allowed to stay in the race, since he applied to run for president before the law was approved.
Liberals and Islamists held one of the largest protests in months on Friday, accusing the country's military rulers of working behind the scenes to push a candidate to power who will protect their interests. Speaking during an army exercise on Monday, Egypt's military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi denied his council of generals is backing a presidential candidate.
"The next president will be the choice of the people without any imposition or guardianship from anyone," he said in remarks carried by the official state news agency MENA.
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