National Democratic Party (Egypt)

The National Democratic Party (Arabic الحزب الوطني الديمقراطي, DMG Hizb al - Watani al- dīmuqrāṭī; abbreviation NDP) was from 1978 to 2011, the ruling political party in Egypt.

Policy

Among the approximately 2.5 million members were the higher state officials and numerous governors, city councils, village chiefs but also the military and private sector representatives. Thus Nasserist and economic liberals was also represented in the NDP.

She had no consistent ideological concept, known, however, to peace with Israel, Islamic law and policy of Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat. The ideology of the party was vague and ranged from moderate socialist positions up to the advocacy of market-based reforms. She was a member of the Socialist International. In the course of continued unrest in Egypt, the party was excluded by a letter from the Secretary General Luis Ayala on 31 January 2011 by the membership.

History

Foundation

The party was founded in July 1978 by the Egyptian president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Anwar Sadat, who was its president until his assassination in 1981. The party itself, was created in 1978 from the middle range of the Arab Socialist Union, the former single party.

Since the assassination of Sadat in 1981 then President Hosni Mubarak was party chairman. As an authoritarian regime supported by a party, additionally supported by the intimidation and persecution of political opponents and a widespread practice of electoral fraud, the NDP was up to the present day the most powerful political force in Egypt.

Decline of the party

At the beginning of 2011 it came to the revolution in Egypt. The highlight was on February 1, 2011, when alone up to two million people marched in Cairo for more freedom and for the end of the rule of Hosni Mubarak. On 5 February 2011, the Executive Committee of the NDP resigned closed. As the new Secretary-General, the members determined the applicable liberal physician and politician Hussam Badrawi, the president's son Gamal Mubarak, the superseded in the post of chairman of the political committee of the party at the same time. On February 11, however, were Hussam Badrawi and Hosni Mubarak back from their positions.

On 12 April 2011, Talaat Sadat was - a nephew of former Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat - elected as the new chairman. After his election, Sadat tried to create the impression in numerous statements that he would clean the NDP of corrupt party officials and party members. Also the name of the party should be changed to " New National Democratic Party" to illustrate a fresh start.

On 16 April 2011, the party was, however, then ( Supreme Administrative Court) resolved by the Supreme Administrative Court of Egypt. Assets, party headquarters and other property of the party to fall to the state / resp. the current government. The court justified its decision: Since the " head" ( ie Mubarak ) had already fallen, it was only logical that his main tool also fall now. ( the Chairman of the Court Mohamed Agaty ). The [ se] party has the rights and freedoms undermined that were guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution. Your procedures led to social and political corruption. The [ se] party usurped the power, tried opposition movements and parties to weaken, to suppress the freedom and imprison activists with different political views and to divide the Egyptian people through intrigue. The [ se] party used the security apparatus of the government to suppress the political opposition.