Egyptian Liberal Party
Encyclopedia
The Free Egyptians Party ( , ħezb el mɑsˤɾejˈjiːn el ʔɑħˈɾˤɑːɾˤ) is an Egyptian liberal
party, founded after the 2011 Egyptian revolution
. On 3 April 2011, the engineer and business tycoon Naguib Sawiris
and a group of intellectuals and political activists announced the establishment of the party and declared the program and the objectives of the party and its basic principles at a conference at the Aljazeraa Youth Center. Other prominent party members are the Egyptian American
scientist Farouk El-Baz
, the revolutionary Egyptian Arabic
poet Ahmed Fouad Negm
, the writer Gamal El-Ghitani, and the telecommunications entrepreneur Khaled Bichara
.
In July 2011, infighting emerged within the party. An internal faction called the "Group of 17" accused the national leadership of undemocratic methods in choosing local leaders in the Damietta Governorate and of tolerating former members of the National Democratic Party
, the ruling party of the toppled Mubarak
regime, to join the ranks of the Free Egyptians Party. Five of the dissidents have been excluded from the party, and have been denoted as "troublemakers" by party officials.
Since its foundation on 16 August 2011, the Free Egyptians Party has been an integral component of the Egyptian Bloc
, a broad electoral alliance opposing the Muslim Brotherhood
, which has taken up the cause of defending Egypt's secularity and civic society.
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
party, founded after the 2011 Egyptian revolution
2011 Egyptian revolution
The 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of November 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil...
. On 3 April 2011, the engineer and business tycoon Naguib Sawiris
Naguib Sawiris
Naguib Onsi Sawiris is an Egyptian businessman and politician. He was executive chairman of the telecommunications companies Wind Telecom and Orascom Telecom Holding before turning to politics in May 2011...
and a group of intellectuals and political activists announced the establishment of the party and declared the program and the objectives of the party and its basic principles at a conference at the Aljazeraa Youth Center. Other prominent party members are the Egyptian American
Egyptian American
Egyptian Americans are Americans of Egyptian ancestry, first-generation Egyptian immigrants, or descendants of Egyptians who immigrated to the United States. In the 2007 U.S. census, the number of people with Egyptian ancestry was estimated at 195,000, although some estimates range from several...
scientist Farouk El-Baz
Farouk El-Baz
Farouk El-Baz is an Egyptian American scientist who worked with NASA to assist in the planning of scientific exploration of the Moon, including the selection of landing sites for the Apollo missions and the training of astronauts in lunar observations and photography.Currently, El-Baz is Research...
, the revolutionary Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....
poet Ahmed Fouad Negm
Ahmed Fouad Negm
Ahmed Fouad Negm -Background:Ahmed Fouad Negm was born to a family of fellahin the Egyptian countryside. His mother, Hanem Morsi Negm, was a housewife, and his father Mohammed Ezat Negm, a police officer. Negm was one of seventeen brothers, only six of whom are still living...
, the writer Gamal El-Ghitani, and the telecommunications entrepreneur Khaled Bichara
Khaled Bichara
Khaled Bichara is the current Group President and Chief Operating Officer of VimpelCom Ltd., as well as Group Executive Chairman of Orascom Telecom Holding....
.
In July 2011, infighting emerged within the party. An internal faction called the "Group of 17" accused the national leadership of undemocratic methods in choosing local leaders in the Damietta Governorate and of tolerating former members of the National Democratic Party
National Democratic Party (Egypt)
The National Democratic Party , often simply called Al-Ḥizb al-Waṭaniy – the "National Party", was an Egyptian political party. It was founded by President Anwar El Sadat in 1978....
, the ruling party of the toppled Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
regime, to join the ranks of the Free Egyptians Party. Five of the dissidents have been excluded from the party, and have been denoted as "troublemakers" by party officials.
Since its foundation on 16 August 2011, the Free Egyptians Party has been an integral component of the Egyptian Bloc
Egyptian Bloc
The Egyptian Bloc is an electoral alliance in Egypt. It has been formed by several liberal, social democratic, and leftist political parties and movements, as well as the traditional Islamist Sufi Liberation Party to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood, and its affiliated Freedom and Justice Party from...
, a broad electoral alliance opposing the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
, which has taken up the cause of defending Egypt's secularity and civic society.
External links
- Official website of the Free Egyptians Party (in Arabic)