Article
Supporters of democracy within and outside the continent should track these four patterns in the coming year.
Saskia Brechenmacher, Frances Z. Brown
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Source: Getty
Other
Egypt Freedom Party
A backgrounder on the Egypt Freedom Party.
Published on Sep 21, 2011
This resource was published on 09/21/2011 and is not updated to reflect changing circumstances.
The Egypt Freedom Party is best characterized as social-democratic, threading a fine line between free enterprise and social justice as well as between secularism and willingness to cooperate with Islamists. It was a founding member of the Egypt Bloc but left on October 15,2011 due to disputes with the Social Democratic Party and concerns over the inclusion of former members of the National Democratic Party on party lists. It participated in the 2011 parliamentary elections as a member of the “Completing the Revolution” Alliance.
Major Party Figures
Amr Hamzawy: Founder and President
Anji Maseehi: Founding member
Jilan Aouf: Founding member
Background
The Egypt Freedom Party was formed on May 11, 2011 by the popular Egyptian intellectual Amr Hamzawy yet remains officially unlicensed. A month earlier, Hamzawy had resigned from the newly formed Egyptian Social Democratic Party after it released a statement condemning violence used against protesters by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Hamzawy rejected the condemnation of the military as an institution.The party advocates the transformation of Egypt into a democratic civil state rather than an Islamic one. In many respects it is similar to Naguib Sawiris’ Free Egyptians Party and other liberal parties, except that it places a greater stress on social justice and the welfare state. However, unlike other parties who stress social justice and redistribution, the Egypt Freedom Party does not favor nationalization of industry and Hamzawy has defended capitalism and the market economy. The party has supported marches in Tahrir Square against military trials and for a civil state in Egypt.
Platform
Political Issues
- Ensuring the citizenship rights of all Egyptians with full equality and without discrimination on the basis of religious affiliation, gender, or social background
- Reducing the discrimination faced by the Egyptians with special needs, particularly with regard to employment and living conditions
- Enforcing human rights standards, especially those in international treaties to which Egypt is a signatory
- Maintaining the values of pluralism, tolerance, and respect for the freedoms and rights of all citizens and a common commitment of citizens to participate in public affairs
Socioeconomic Issues
- Supporting a market economy combined with a commitment to social justice
- Calling for government-established regulations to reduce monopolies
- Ensuring a decent life for all Egyptians by supporting a minimum wage and government programs for health care, social security and pensions, unemployment benefits, and disability insurance
Foreign Policy Issues
- Advocating an active role for Egypt in the Arab world, Africa, and the international community
- Supporting an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital
- Calling for positive engagement with both Turkey and Iran
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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