Archpriest Albert Louis, Priest of the Evangelical Church, said that the decision of the Copts and civil powers to boycott the elections was an inevitable development. He rejects the regime’s insistence on holding elections despite the difficult security conditions. He emphasized the importance of a government response to the request of the opposition.

Leader of Hizb al-Hurīyah (Freedom Party) and member of former People’s Assembly, Ihāb Ramzī, has confirmed that he is contacting Coptic candidates around the country to induce them to boycott the elections because the expected scenario is that the Brotherhood and the Islamist forces will obtain 90 percent of the votes regardless of their participation.

According to member of the supreme body of the Egyptian Democratic Party, Hilmī ‘Azir, the final decision to boycott the elections was in objection to the division of the constituents, in which Copts are not considered as part of the electoral process. He added that although the Church only has an interest in the spiritual, the current conditions and events are pushing the Church towards political interference.

‘Azir has demanded a response from the presidency clarifying that the decision to boycott is not final and can be reconsidered if the presidency responds to a number of demands laid on the table (Muhammad Rabī', al-Misrīyūn, March 4, p. 4). Read original text in Arabic.