WATANI International
21 November 2010
Five parties are contesting the elections next Sunday:
• The National Democratic Party (NDP) was formed in 1977 using the name of a party formed in 1907 by the national leader Mustafa Kamel during the heyday of the Egyptian nationalist movement. The party slogan runs: “Just for You”.
• The National Progressive Unionist Party, widely known as al-Tagammu (The Rally) was established in 1977 under the leadership of Khaled Mohieddin. It is a leftist party and calls for defending citizens’ rights against the ravages of a free economy.
• The Arab Democratic Nasserist Party was founded in 1992. Under the slogan “Freedom, socialism and unity” it seeks to restore the principles of the 1952 Revolution.
• The Wafd is an extension to one of the oldest parties in Egypt, al-Wafd which was formed in the 1920s. It is famous for a liberal perspective that stresses national union.
• The Muslim Brotherhood, the world’s oldest and largest Islamic political group, was founded in 1928 in Egypt by Hassan al-Banna. It was banned and went underground in 1953 during the Nasser years after an attempt on his life. President Sadat restored the group to public and political life in the 1970s, but was assassinated at the hands of their members. Today the group is still legally banned, but its members contest the elections as independents. The group faces a number of challenges in the lead-up to the elections, including a strong security crackdown, a battle over the use of its slogan “Islam is the Solution”, continued internal debates over the merits of participation, and attacks from opposition parties.