Liberals under siege

Having failed to end a six-year power struggle, the Liberal Party was finally placed under judicial sequestration. Mona El-Nahhas reports

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Responding to a lawsuit filed by Ahmed Abdallah Aziz of the Liberal Party's Fayoum branch, the Abdin Appeals Court decided on 2 June to place the Liberal Party and its 18 publications under judicial sequestration. Aziz's suit argued that because the party has been incapable of electing a chairman since its last boss, Mustafa Kamel Murad, died in 1998, numerous financial and administrative infringements have occurred. The court agreed to appoint a custodian who will administer the party's financial affairs until a chairman is elected.

Thirteen prominent party figures have been vying for the chairman's position. Six of them have held their own general conferences, claiming via these events that they have legitimately been elected to head the party. The political parties committee affiliated to the Shura Council, however, has chosen not to legitimise any of these results. Although the pro-government committee is responsible for licensing new parties and dissolving those in violation of the law, it has no jurisdiction vis-ˆ-vis internal power struggles among party leaders.

Many party members -- fed up as a result of what they termed continuing financial and other irregularities at the party -- welcomed the sequestration ruling as a way out of the current crisis.

Lawyer Talaat El-Sadat, brother of late President Anwar El- Sadat and one of those vying for the chairman's post, said the ruling was the first step on the right path, "a warning to all party members fighting for the party's leadership to put their disagreements aside and solve their party's long-standing crisis."

Another group, led by the party's Deputy Chairman Yasser Ramadan, has decided to contest the ruling. Ramadan told Al- Ahram Weekly that a committee tasked with electing a new chairman according to the party's internal statutes was formed last Sunday. Asked why it took a court ruling to inspire such a move, Ramadan blamed the political parties committee for exaggerating the chairman's post dispute. Four of the competitors are not even party members, Ramadan said, which meant the committee shouldn't even have considered their claims. As for the remaining nine, Ramadan denied the existence of any competition between them. "Each one of us performs his legal role according to the statutes, until free elections are staged".

According to the sequestration ruling, the court-appointed custodian's role will be limited to administrating financial affairs. "He is not going to interfere in the party's policies or activities, but he will supervise ways of financing such activities," said Helmi Salem, the party's secretary-general. The name of the custodian, who will begin his mission later this month, has not yet been announced. "His work will end the instant a new elected chairman takes power," Salem said.

Analysts said the ruling has inspired concern at other parties such as the Social Justice Party and Misr Al-Fatta, which are also mired in internal power struggles.