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Party Profiles

After more than three decades of one-man rule and single-party political life, January’s popular Egyptian uprising opened the way to multiple political currents emerging, including scores of new political parties.

What are the respective political positions of the main political parties on the scene? Where do points of agreement exist between them, and where are the main differences?

Bikyamasr.com has put together a series of party profiles of the main players on the political scene.

The Revolution Youth Coalition
Political reform that yields a liberal democratic system that ensures the protection of individuals’ freedoms of speech, belief, and religion regardless of race, sex, or belief

The Wasat Party
The Center Party was founded in 1995 by former members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other moderate Muslims. The organization has since grown to include some Copts as well

The New Wafd Party
The Wafd Party was the ruling party in Egypt before 1952, but was abolished, along with all other existing political parties, after January 1953. The Wafd returned as the New Wafd Party in 1978

The Tagammu Party
The Tagammu Party aims to preserve the gains of the 1952 revolution for workers and the poor. It supports socialist and leftist policies in addition to Arab unity

The Revolutionary Socialist Party
The Revolutionary Socialist Party is a member of the Coalition of Socialist Forces, which includes the Popular Socialist Alliance, the Egyptian Socialist Party, the Workers Democratic Party and the Egyptian Communist Party

The Egyptian Social Democratic Party
The Egyptian Social Democratic Party is committed to democratic principles in political, social and economic affairs. The party stresses the importance of social justice and equality among citizens of every religion, race, gender and status

The Nour Party
Al-Nour Party is the largest of the Salafi Islamic parties. Salafists are supporters of a literal version of Islam and are even more fundamentalist than the Muslim Brotherhood

The National Association for Change
The National Association for Change is a political pressure group, not a political party. It was founded in 2010 in order to bring about essential reforms to the Egyptian political system

The Karama Party
The Dignity Party was founded by a former member of the Arab Democratic Nasserist Party, Hamdin Sabbahy. The party has socialist leanings and focuses its platform on Arab unity

The Justice Party
The Justice Party was formed after the January, 2011 revolution to promote social justice. Many of the key figures were active in the movements that sparked the revolution in the first place

The Islamic Labor Party
The main pillars of the party’s platform are support for the working class, adherence to Islamic principles and a rejection of Western domination in favor of Arab and Islamic unity

The Egyptian Green Party
The Egyptian Green Party originally limited its activities to promoting environmental protection, but during the 2000’s has broadened its platform to include issues of social welfare and development

Al-Ghad Party
Political reform that yields a liberal democratic system that ensures the protection of individuals’ freedoms of speech, belief, and religion regardless of race, sex, or belief

The Free Egyptians Party
The Free Egyptian’s Party is the political project of Egyptian business tycoon NaguibSawiris, who formed the party to promote a civil state with a focus on liberty and freedom

The Freedom and Justice Party
The FJP was founded by longtime leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), who relinquished their previous roles to ensure that the FJP would not appear to be the MB’s political wing

The Egyptian Socialist Party
The Egyptian Socialist Party was founded after the 25 January Revolution. It supports a completely socialist economic system and rejects all elements of a capitalist system

The Democratic Front Party
In August, 2011, the DFP joined an alliance of 14 parties called the Egyptian Bloc. The coalition will run for seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections using a unified candidate list and slogan

The Egyptian Communist Party
The most recent branch of the party was founded in 1975 but did not undertake public action until May of 2011. Although rather small, the party represents Egypt’s most leftist adherents and promotes a communist ideology

The Egyptian Arab Socialist Party
The Egyptian Arab Socialist Party was originally founded in 1978, and held the majority of seats after the first parliamentary elections, until it was absorbed into Sadat’s National Democratic Party

The April 6th Youth Movement
Although the April 6 Youth Movement is a movement rather than a political party it is clear that its platform is to bring democratic political change to Egypt