Mohamed ElBaradei, the Egyptian liberal opposition politician, has called for a boycott of parliamentary elections which start in April, saying he refused to take part in "an act of deception".

President Mohamed Morsi brought forward the start of the country's parliamentary elections on Saturday, aiming to conclude Egypt's turbulent transition to democracy which began with the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak by popular protests in February 2011.

The first round of voting in Cairo and four other provinces will now be held on 22 April, rather than 27 April.

Members of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority had criticized the planned timing of the elections because some voting would take place during their Easter holiday.

"Today I repeat my call, [I] will not be part of an act of deception," ElBaradei, a former UN nuclear agency chief and a Nobel Laureate, said on his Twitter account.

ElBaradei said that he had called in 2010 for a similar boycott of polls held under Mubarak, who was toppled the following year.

Wide participation

Freedom and Justice Party of the Muslim Brotherhood has used well-organized campaign operations to win every election since the revolution, while the liberal and leftist opposition has been beset by division.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which backs Morsi, dismissed suggestions that the elections, to be held in four stages from April to June, would lack credibility.

Essam Erian, senior member of the Freedom and Justice Party, said the polls would be carried out under "complete judicial supervision" as well as being followed by Egyptian, regional and international media.

Voting would also be monitored by Egyptian and foreign civil society and human rights organizations, he said on his Facebook page, adding that he expected wide participation.

ElBaradei's call appeared to reflect confusion within the National Salvation Front (NSF), which groups a number of parties opposed to the Islamists - including his own Constitution Party.

Only on Friday NSF spokesman Khaled Dawood said the front would meet in the coming week to decide whether to participate.

Previous opposition boycott threats have failed to materialize.

PHOTO CAPTION

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012 file photo, released by the Egyptian Presidency, Nobel Peace Prize winner and head of the opposition Egyptian Constitution political party, Mohamed ElBaradei, left, meets with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, in Cairo, Egypt.

Aljazeera