The Strong Egypt Party () is an Egyptian centrist political party founded in 2012 by former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh.

History

The Strong Egypt Party was established in July 2012 by former

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...

member and 2012 presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh. On 31 October 2012, the party was officially inaugurated by Aboul Fotouh and co-founders Mokhtar Nouh and Rabab El-Mahdi in front of hundreds of supporters at the Supreme Court in Cairo. On 10 December 2012, Aboul Fotouh announced that the party is calling on Egyptians to vote "no" in the 2012 constitutional referendum. In a videotaped statement, he said that there were three main reasons why Egyptians should reject the draft: first, a weakness in achieving social justice, second, the special status given to the military establishment and the provision for military trials of civilians, and third, the almost unchanged authorities of the president. On 3 December 2013, the party announced that it will oppose the constitution that will be voted on in the 2014 constitutional referendum. In a press statement, party leader Aboul Fotouh said that the party rejected the draft for the same reasons as the 2012 constitution: it failed to promote social justice and gave too much power to the president. He asserted that the draft did not fulfill the goals of the

Egyptian Revolution of 2011 The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January Revolution (;), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police holiday" as a statement against ...

, and he also criticised that it made the military "a state above the state". A court case was brought forth to dissolve the party, though the Alexandria Urgent Matters Court ruled on 26 November 2014 that it lacked jurisdiction. The Strong Egypt Party boycotted the

parliamentary elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

on 17 October 2015.

Basic tenets

The party describes itself as an economically progressive and socially moderate political group. However, it does not endorse the politics of international loans, believing that it is not the solution to the economic problems of Egypt.

Cooperation with other parties and movements

In July 2013, following the military coup against President Morsi, members of the Strong Egypt Party participated in the Third Square movement, which was created by liberal, leftist and moderate Islamist activists who reject both the

and military rule. In September 2013, members of the party were amongst the founders of the Road of the Revolution Front, an alliance of activists from different political backgrounds that aims to achieve the goals of the

of bread, freedom and social justice.

Lawsuit against Islamic parties

The ''Strong Egypt Party'' is one of the eleven Islamic parties targeted by a lawsuit in November 2014, when an organization named ''Popular Front for opposing the Brotherhoodization of Egypt'' sought to dissolve all political parties established "on a religious basis." The Alexandria Urgent Matters Court however ruled on 26 November 2014 that it lacked jurisdiction.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong Egypt Party 2012 establishments in Egypt 2013 Egyptian coup d'état Centrist parties in Egypt Egyptian democracy movements Organisations of the Egyptian Crisis (2011–2014) Political parties established in 2012

History

Basic tenets

Cooperation with other parties and movements

Lawsuit against Islamic parties

See also

References