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« August 2006 | Main | November 2006 »
On Monday September 25, the higher committee of al-Ghad party elected Gamila Ismail, Ayman Nour's wife, as vice president of the party. Ismail will be overseeing media related affairs. The meeting was headed by party leader ambassador Nagui al-Ghatrifi.
The National Front for Change (NFC), which includes the Kefaya Movement, Muslim Brotherhood, the Wafd Party, the Ghad Party, the Nasserite party and the Democratic Front Party, is working on drafting a new constitution. The project will take into account all work done so far by the opposition in terms of constitutional reform. The NFC will also take into account the project elaborated by al-Ghad - Tomorrow- party.
The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) held its fourth annual conference from September 19-21 in Cairo. The NDP discussed issues related to employment, investment, support of poor families, health care, transport, education, infrastructure and urban planing, youth and sport, as well as national security, citizenship and democracy. The conference was also attended by observers from other parties and foreign intellectuals.
The Alliance of Egyptian Americans (AEA) elected the Egyptian Judge Dr. Noha al-Zini as 'Woman of the Year.' Dr al-Zini was recognized for having challenged the Egyptian regime for falsification of the parliamentary elections. The AEA also held its annual conference from September 15-17 and reiterated its commitment for political reforms in Egypt.
The general conference of Egyptian lawyers that took place in the Mediterranean city of Port-Said from September 12-14 called for granting more political liberties. The conference called for strenghtening the judiciary, ending the emergency laws, canceling tribunals that are not under the control of the judiciary, as well as allowing for the creation of political parties.
The Shura Council (SC) - the higher house of parliament - and the People's Assembly (PA)- the lower house of parliament - endorsed different positions on constitutional reforms. Members of the SC wanted the constitutional reforms to enhance the status of the SC by giving it the right to initiate legislation and to question cabinet members. Under the current disposition, the SC has a consultative authority over legislation and oversees political parties and the press. The PA wants the constitutional amendment to increase the power of the PA but does not believe it necessary to increase the power of the other house of Parliament. This difference of opinion created a crisis between members of the two houses of parliament, both of which are dominated by the ruling National Democratic Party.
Several parties and political forces decided to create a national front to coordinate opposition efforts against attempts to transform Egypt into a dynastic presidency. This national front includes the liberal Wafd party, al-Ghad - Tomorrow - party, the Nasserite party and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). The founding meeting took place in the Wafd party headquarters in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.
The censorship authority gave its initial approval to a movie on the life of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Hassan al-Banna. The approval followed a request from MB parliamentarian Mohsen Radi on behalf of the al-Banna family. The final approval for the movie is still pending on the agreement of the security authorities. Hassan al-Banna founded the MB in 1928 and was assassinated two decades later.
Aisha Abdel-Hadi, minister of labor and emigration, declared the the government is considering the possibility of allowing Egyptians residing abroad to vote in the next presidential elections. Under the current system Egyptians abroad are not allowed to cast their votes in any Egyptian elections. In the 2005 presidential elections the government was criticized for not allowing the four millions strong Egyptian community living abroad to vote.
Leftist parties - legal and illegal - created a coalition in an effort to unify socialist and communist forces. The coalition is made of the Tagammu Party, Karama Party (which is illegal), People's Party (which is illegal), Egyptian Communist Party (which is illegal), the Justice Center for Political and Social Studies, and the Social Democratic Center. The Nasserite Party, which has a socialist platform based on late president Nasser's ideology, did not join the coalition. Refaat El-Saeed, leader of the Tagammu, the oldest legal leftist party, explained that the Nasserite party was invited and expected to join the coalition.
