El-Ghad Party

el-Ghad Party
Hizb el-Ghad
حزب الغد
LeaderAyman Nour
(2004-2011)
Moussa Mostafa Moussa
(2011-present)
ChairpersonMoussa Mostafa Moussa
FoundersAyman Nour and Wael Nawara
Founded2001
HeadquartersCairo
NewspaperEl-Ghad
IdeologySecularism
Liberalism
Liberal democracy
Reformism
Political positionCentre
National affiliationEgyptian Front[1]
Colors  Green
  Orange (historically)
SloganHand in Hand, we build tomorrow
House of Representatives
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Website
www.elghad.com

The el-Ghad Party (Arabic: حزب الغد Ḥizb el-Ghad, IPA: [ˈħezb elˈɣæd]; "The Tomorrow Party") is an active political party in Egypt that was granted license in October 2004. El-Ghad is a centrist liberal secular political party pressing for widening the scope of political participation and for a peaceful rotation of power.

The official El-Ghad Party, headed by Moussa Moustafa Moussa, was running the 2011–12 Egyptian parliamentary election as an independent list. The split faction Ghad El-Thawra Party, headed by Ayman Nour, was part of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party-led Democratic Alliance for Egypt.[2]

Background

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Logo of the El-Ghad party under Ayman Nour's leadership

Ayman Nour left the New Wafd Party in 2001. He was named the first secretary of the party in October that year.[3] The party was legalized in 2004. After facing president Hosni Mubarak in the 2005 Egyptian presidential election, Nour was sentenced to five years in jail on forgery charges.[2]

In 2005, just before Nour being sentenced, the El-Ghad party split in two factions. One was headed by Moussa Moustafa Moussa, the other by Nour's (now former) wife Gameela Ismail.[2] Legal battle ensued between both factions, both claiming legitimacy and simultaneously using the party name and insignia. The final court ruling in May 2011 was in favor of Moussa.[4] Ayman Nour hence filed for a new party, Ghad El-Thawra Party or "Revolution's Tomorrow Party", which was approved on 9 October 2011.[2]

The removal of Nour from the party leadership by Moussa, and the latter's election to the Egyptian Upper House, have been seen as compliances with the Hosni Mubarak regime.[2]

Platform

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The party platform calls for:

Name confusion

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Ayman Nour has been tightly associated with both the El-Ghad name and party, even being accused of internal monopoly by other party members.[2] Since both Nour and Moussa factions were using (and still are) the same name and insignia (ex: Ghad El-Thawra website[5]), it was often difficult to tell them apart. For instance, Liberal International listed El-Ghad, specifying its leader as Ayman Nour, as an observer member.[6] Many poll and media outlets used the term "El-Ghad" without specifying which party or faction they are referring to,[7] although they often meant the Ayman Nour Ghad El-Thawra faction.[8][9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ ""الغد" يدفع بـ 8 مرشحين على قائمة "الجبهة المصرية"" ["Al-Ghad" nominates 8 candidates on the "Egyptian Front" list] (in Arabic). El Balad. 9 September 2015. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Ghad Al-Thawra Party". ahram.org. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  3. ^ Stacher, Joshua (2004). "Parties over: The demise of Egypt's opposition parties". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 31 (2): 231. doi:10.1080/135301904042000268222. S2CID 145021477.
  4. ^ ""شئون الأحزاب" ترفض قبول تأسيس حزب الغد الجديد" [Party Affairs refuses to accept the establishment of the new Tomorrow Party]. Youm7 (in Arabic). 2011-09-05. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  5. ^ "aymannour.net".
  6. ^ "Datasheet on the Liberal International's website". Archived from the original on 2011-05-22.
  7. ^ "Egypt's Simmering Rage". The Daily Beast. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  8. ^ "2nd National Voter Survey in Egypt" (PDF). Danish-Egyptian Dialogue Institute (DEDI). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  9. ^ "3rd National Voter Survey in Egypt" (PDF). Danish-Egyptian Dialogue Institute (DEDI). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
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