Al-Wasat Party
Political party in Egypt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The al-Wasat Party (Arabic: حزب الوسط, romanized: Hizb al-Wasat), translated in English as the Center Party, is a moderate Islamist political party in Egypt.[6]
Abou Elela Mady
New Center Party حزب الوسط الجديد Hizb al-Wasat al-Jadid | |
|---|---|
| |
| President | Mohamed Abdel Latif (acting)[1] Abou Elela Mady |
| Vice-President | Essam Sultan |
| Vice-President | Mohamed Mahsoub |
| Secretary-General | Mohammed Abdul-Latif |
| Spokesperson | Amr Farouk |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Legalized | 19 February 2011 |
| Split from | Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt[2] |
| Headquarters | 8 Pearl St., Mokattam, Cairo |
| Membership (2011) | 5.088[3] |
| Ideology | Islamic democracy[4] |
| Political position | Centre[5] |
| Colors | Maroon |
| Slogan | الوطن قبل الوسط Motherland before Al-wasat |
| House of Representatives | 0 / 568
|
History
Foundation
The party was founded by Abou Elela Mady in 1996 as a split from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt,[7] which Mady accused of having "narrow political horizons." The creation of al-Wasat was criticized by the Brotherhood, which said Mady was trying to split the movement.[8] It was also not well received by the Egyptian government, which brought its founders before a military court on the charge of setting up a party as an Islamist front.
Al-Wasat tried to gain an official license four times between 1996 and 2009, but its application was rejected each time by the political parties committee, which was chaired by a leading member of the ruling National Democratic Party.[8] Political parties formed on the basis of religion have been banned by the Egyptian constitution since an amendment to Article 5 was approved in 2007.[9]
Recognition
Al-Wasat was granted official recognition on 19 February 2011 after a court in Cairo approved its establishment. The court's ruling was handed down in the wake of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, and made al-Wasat the first new party to gain official status after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.[10] Its newly acquired official status allowed al-Wasat to compete in the next parliamentary election, and made it the first legal party in Egypt with an Islamic background.[11][12]
2011/2012 parliamentary election
The party initially was part of the Democratic Alliance for Egypt, though it left in October 2011[13] and later allied with the Renaissance Party and the Pioneer Party, both of which were also offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood,[14] and won 10 seats.[15]
Post-coup d'etat
The leader of the party, Abou Elela Mady, as well as deputy head Essam Sultan, were detained following the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état.[16] Elela Mady was released in August 2015.[17]
The party withdrew from the Anti-Coup Alliance on 28 August 2014.[18] A court case was brought forth to dissolve the party,[19] though the Alexandria Urgent Matters Court ruled on 26 November 2014 that it lacked jurisdiction.[20]
Ideology
According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, al-Wasat "seeks to interpret Islamic sharia principles in a manner consistent with the values of a liberal democratic system. Although al-Wasat advocates a political system that is firmly anchored in Islamic law, it also views sharia principles as flexible and wholly compatible with the principles of pluralism and equal citizenship rights."[5] The party's manifesto accepts the right of a Christian to become head of state in a Muslim-majority country.[11] Its founder Mady likens its ideology to that of the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP).[8]
Electoral history
People's Assembly elections
| Election | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | 10 / 596 |
 10 |