CAIRO – Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi is considering rescheduling parliamentary elections after Coptic Christians complained they would clash with the Easter period, his office said Saturday. “Today President Morsi said he is seriously considering rescheduling elections to avoid any overlap with Coptic Christian holidays,” the presidency said on its English-language Twitter account. It did not give details on a possible new schedule for the election, which will replace an Islamist-dominated parliament dissolved by a court on a technicality before Morsi was elected in June. Meanwhile, a key opposition leader called Saturday for a boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections, saying he will not take part in a “sham democracy.” The Muslim Brotherhood shot back that the opposition was running away from the challenge and wants power without contesting elections. The exchange reflected a new escalation in political tensions that could spill into even wider strikes and protests ahead of a four-stage vote set to begin on April 28 and last until June. Morsi announced the elections late Thursday night. “(I) called for parliamentary election boycott in 2010 to expose sham democracy. Today I repeat my call, will not be part of an act of deception,” Nobel laureate Mohammed ElBaradei, who leads the main opposition National Salvation Front, wrote on his Twitter account. He reiterated the opposition's refrain that Morsi, who was elected in a free and fair vote, is acting like former leader Hosni Mubarak. Some activists criticized the boycott call, saying it would alienate the masses and allow the Islamists to maintain their domination of parliament. – Agencies
