Younger politics

During its first general assembly, the newly formed Al-Ghad Party elected young leaders and a woman as secretary-general. Mona El-Nahhas attended

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Just nine days after getting a governmental licence, the liberal Ghad (Tomorrow) Party held its first general assembly last Friday at the Nasr City International Conference Centre.

In a nod to democracy, 39-year-old MP Ayman Nour, who represents the party's 5,200 founders, ran against Mohamed Abul-Azm, for the party's chairmanship. Nour won, getting 490 votes to Abul-Azm's 37. The results, however, were not a surprise. Nour has been the party's driving force, and Abul-Azm admitted, prior to the vote, that he had no political experience.

Forty-six of the founders were elected to the party's Higher Committee. Five of them are under 35.

Former MP Mona Makram Ebeid was chosen as the party's secretary-general, making Al-Ghad the first Egyptian political party with a woman in such a top post. Thirty-seven per cent of the party's founders are women, and its platform calls for the empowerment of women in general.

Moussa Mustafa Moussa was chosen deputy chairman, while former MP Ragab Helal Hemeida, who recently defected to Al-Ghad from the Liberal Party, was named assistant to the chairman. Hemeida had been fighting for the Liberal Party's top seat for four years before moving over to Al-Ghad.

Nour's wife, TV announcer Gameela Ismail, was chosen as assistant to the party's secretary-general.

Other than the surprising no-show by former MP Mohamed Farid Hassanein, a key Ghad Party founder, the general assembly was smooth sailing all the way. Up until just a few days before the conference, Hassanein was meant to be competing against Nour for the party's chairmanship. Party leaders were tight-lipped about his absence. "We do not know exactly what happened," was their vague reply.

Hassanein told Al-Ahram Weekly that he didn't show up because he had left the party altogether, and gone back to the Nasserist Party from whence he originally came. "I took the decision after discovering that the Ghad had begun to adopt a rather pro- governmental attitude." Hassanein hinted that the shift had catalysed the party's approval by the Political Parties Committee -- a semi- governmental authority mandated to license new parties.

Analysts had been surprised by the committee's decision to vet the party after having previously rejected their application three times. Some surmised that the approval was actually a stab at the liberal Wafd Party, which has recently stepped up its anti- government tone. Nour, a former Wafdist, was dismissed from the Wafd Party in 2001 after clashing with its leader Noman Gomaa.

Other observers saw the approval as part of a secret deal with the state, by which the Ghad had promised not to exceedingly criticise the government.

After obtaining the licence, Nour said that the party would back President Hosni Mubarak for a new term in office if he agreed to amend the constitution in a way that abolishes the current system of presidential referendum, allowing people to elect the president among several candidates instead. "If Mubarak was one of several nominees, I would vote for him," Nour said. He also said the party was not against Gamal Mubarak if "he came to office via proper legal channels, rather than an inheritance of power."

Nour also said the party would not mind taking part in a comprehensive dialogue with the ruling National Democratic Party, since dialogue between all political powers was a prerequisite to comprehensive reform.

Hassanein's migration seemed to also be related to a dispute with Nour over the timing of the party's internal elections. Nour wanted to hold them post haste, while Hassanein wanted to wait at least six months. "This would give members ample time to become acquainted with the candidates and their platforms before casting their votes," Hassanein said. "As such, the results would truly express voters' wishes."

Although several other party members spoken to by the Weekly agreed with Hassanein on this point, Nour denied the existence of conflicts within the party's ranks, and said there was no logical reason to delay the elections.

Some party members said the immediacy of the vote was the primary reason why only 51 candidates nominated themselves for the 46 Higher Committee seats.

Nearly 2,000 of the party's founders from different governorates attended Friday's event. Proceedings began at 3pm, after delegates had been registered and the necessary legal quorum was achieved. The hall was packed with party members, press and public figures. The party's orange logos were everywhere, on pamphlets, banners, and even on the T-shirts worn by some of the party members in attendance.

One of the conference's biggest announcements was that the Ghad daily newspaper would be launched next January. Ibrahim Issa, former chief editor of Al-Destour newspaper (which was closed down in 1998 after excessively criticising top businessmen), was chosen as the chief editor.

Party members also decided not to accept the financial aid offered by the Shura Council to all political parties. Donations from party members and supporters would suffice, they said. "We are a free party," Nour said, noting that governmental support could be used to shackle the party. The government's money would go to the party's unemployment fund instead.

The founders pledged to never abolish or amend the party statute banning its chairman from occupying the chairman's seat for more than two successive terms.

The party's parliamentary block was also formed. It includes six members, all of whom -- including Nour -- had originally been elected to the People's Assembly as independent MPs. Elderly MP Abdel-Moneim El-Tunisi would lead the block.

The general assembly also saw the formation of a council of elders, which, according to the party's statutes, would be responsible for settling any internal disputes among members. The four-member council will also oversee the party's commitment to its general political line. Former Housing Minister Hasaballa El-Kafrawi was appointed to chair the council, whose membership is permanent. Nour's father, lawyer Abdel-Aziz Nour, was also named as one of the elders.

The voting took place using glass ballot boxes after candidates' CVs were flashed on large screens. Observers noted that many had limited political experience.

With the voting over by 8pm, only 530 founders participated in the elections. Three judges and human rights activists supervised the tallying of votes, which took nearly two hours.

Nour said that the party would be battling hard to win as many seats as possible in the 2005 parliamentary elections, and would begin accepting members' nomination applications immediately.

An Iftar banquet, funded by leading members, also took place. The total budget for Friday's event was not revealed.