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Opposition leader calls protest law 'political suicide' for Sisi

In an interview with Al-Monitor, opposition figure Ayman Nour said the events of July 3 were a coup against democracy in Egypt, while criticizing Gulf interference in the country's internal affairs.
Egyptian presidential candidate Ayman Nour, surrounded by his supporters, waves as he makes his way to Andalus Palace, where candidates submit candidacy papers, in Cairo April 6, 2012, days before the door for nominations is set to close.   REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR30FAQ

BEIRUT, Lebanon — In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ayman Nour, a pioneer oppositionist since the Hosni Mubarak days, said he feels that Egyptians are sacrificing both Egypt and the revolution. Nour, who now resides in Lebanon — a country he described as having a neutral agenda toward Egypt's political arena — said that the current regime of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is its own biggest threat.

Nour believes that the demands of those who protested on June 30, 2013, stemmed from both true and exaggerated reasons, but that July 3 led to a coup — not against Mohammed Morsi but the values of democracy. He said, “It is a coup against a path that came through elections and should not have left without elections, even if it was a referendum to know what the majority thinks.”

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