The Salafi-oriented Nour Party has demanded the formation of a "national salvation government,” an end to the state of emergency President Mohamed Morsy has imposed on a number of provinces, as well as constitutional amendments.
Since the second anniversary of the 25 January 2011 uprising on Friday, there have been clashes between protesters and security forces in several parts of the country.
Port Said saw bloody encounters following a court ruling on Saturday that sentenced 21 of its citizens to death for involvement in the 2012 Port Said football Stadium massacre. No police officers were sentenced, with their sentencing scheduled for the beginning of March.
President Mohamed Morsy decreed on Sunday a state of emergency and night-time curfew for a 30-day period in Port Said, Suez and Ismailia, which saw bloody encounters between police and protesters.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Nour Party Chairman Younis Makhyoun called for a coalition government comprised of technocratic and political ministers. He urged the current government not to adopt any decisive decisions given that it serves temporarily until parliamentary elections.
Concerning political disagreements over the Constitution, which was approved in a referendum in December in the midst of political crisis, the Nour Party proposed a judicial-political panel to consider constitution-related proposals by different political groups.
The party also called for consensus among all political forces regarding practical measures to ensure fair parliamentary elections.
“We oppose any exceptional measures, and hope that the state of emergency ends as soon as possible,” Makhyoun said, commenting on President Mohamed Morsy’s decision to impose the state of emergency on the Suez Canal cities. “The president vowed to end the emergency once the security situation re-stabilizes...curfew hours should be decreased,” Makhyoun said.
Makhyoun said his party will not call for any demonstrations at this stage, and stressed the importance of communicating with all political forces. He also said that the Nour Party rejects the prior conditions for participating in the national dialogue set by the leading opposition groups, the National Salvation Front.
