Egypt schedules elections on Coptic Easter Sunday

February 25, 2013

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has scheduled the second round of parliamentary elections on May 5, the date on which Coptic Christians will celebrate Easter. The first round of elections is scheduled for the day before the Coptic celebration of Palm Sunday.

“Our political leaders chose the dates because they never take the calendar of Christian festivities into consideration, because no one around them is in a position to advise when a date is inopportune,” said Bishop Kamal Fahim Awad (Boutros) Hanna, a bishop who assists the Coptic Catholic patriarch in governing the See of Alexandria.

“In these matters they are completely in the dark,” Bishop Hanna added. “This is why yesterday we saw an explosion of protests on the social network. However, certain prominent Christians were able to make their voices reach the Presidential offices, in order to warn those responsible that the inconvenient choice of election dates that could cause fresh social tensions and revolts.”

 

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Further information:

• Elections at Easter: Copts protest, possible postponement (Fides)