A group of liberal and leftist Egyptian political parties and public figures recently formed a new movement designed to boost the circulation of a government gone stagnant. The movement wants to create political mobility, contribute to amendments to the protest law, improve access to the government and boost political influence for civil society groups and syndicates.

The Civil Democratic Movement is made up of seven liberal parties and about 150 public figures. On Dec. 14, they signed a declaration of principles that includes 11 objectives and demands.

The document calls for establishing the basics of a modern civil democracy, strictly applying the law and constitutional provisions to all people with no exceptions, and facing corruption by implementing the principles of transparency and supervision through elected local councils, independent media and supervisory agencies.

It also calls for "providing the minimum level of economic and social rights for ordinary citizens," adopting the scientific approach in determining priorities for the use of resources, and applying the rules of competitiveness "that prevent the encroachment of one institution or group over another.” The document also highlights the need to use intellectual as well as physical means to comprehensively confront terrorism. The new movement calls for the immediate release of all inmates who were imprisoned for expressing their opinions or staging peaceful demonstrations.