Anba Bola, Bishop of Tanta and the head of Citizenship Committee in the Coptic Orthodox Church, sent a final list of nominees recommended by the Church in the nine governorates which will be involved in the first phase of the parliamentary elections scheduled to take place next Monday.
WATANI International
25 November 2011
Anba Bola, Bishop of Tanta and the head of Citizenship Committee in the Coptic Orthodox Church, sent a final list of nominees recommended by the Church in the nine governorates which will be involved in the first phase of the parliamentary elections scheduled to take place next Monday.
The citizenship committees in all parishes had held several meetings to select names from the electoral lists of the various parties, as well as the independents, who were deemed to have plans to support national, liberal, and Coptic issues. The move by the Church was meant to unify the voting in order to avoid breaking up the votes.
The committees, formed of laymen and members of Melli Council, started working earlier this month to select the nominees who believe in citizenship rights and have displayed a patriotic sense and a willingness to serve the national cause.
The Church lists show that it supports the liberal/leftist alliances of al-Kutla al-Misriya (The Egyptian Mass), al-Tahluf al-Shaabi –al-Thawra Mustammira (The People’s Alliance –The Revolution is Ongoing).
Out of 57 individual nominees—meaning they are not included of the Slate system lists—the Church recommended five Copts; the others are Muslims.