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
Tagammu Party
A backgrounder on the Tagammu Party.
Published on Sep 22, 2011
This resource was published on 09/22/2011 and is not updated to reflect changing circumstances.
One of the oldest Egyptian parties still in existence, al-Tagammu is a leftist party in serious decline under an aging leadership, struggling to find its place in a changing environment. Before the 2011 uprising, it had become increasingly reconciled with the Mubarak regime. After the uprising, it first joined the Democratic Alliance but left to become a founding member of the Egypt Bloc.
Major Party Figures
Mohammed Rifat al-Saeed: Chairman
Sayyid ‘Abd al-‘Aal: Secretary General
Hussein Abdel-Razek: Head of the Political Bureau
Farida al-Naqash: Editor in chief of the party’s newspaper, al-Ahali
Background
The al-Tagammu Party was established in 1976 by former Free Officer Khaled Moheiddin. A diverse coalition of former Nasserites, Marxists, and Arab nationalists, al-Tagammu advocated the establishment of a socialist society through the process of popular participation. The party has since moderated its position and lost the support it once had among intellectuals, labor union leaders, and workers.
In an attempt to reverse the party’s declining fortunes, in 1984 al-Tagammu tried to reach out to Islamist constituencies. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the decline of socialism worldwide, it took a more conciliatory attitude toward the old regime and was allowed to win five seats in the 2010 elections. After the uprising, the party is still struggling to find its niche.
Platform
Political Issues
- Maintaining a strong state to protect its citizens from economic exploitation
- Advocating democracy as the only guarantor to stability and the peaceful transfer of power
Socioeconomic Issues
- Calling for the nationalization of major industries and resources so that they belong to the Egyptian citizens
- Supporting redistribution of wealth to achieve social justice
- Opposing continuation of Mubarak-era privatization to push for economic reform
Foreign Policy Issues
- Calling for solidarity amongst all Arab nations
- Rejecting American and Israeli imperialism in the Middle East
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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