The Building and Development Party (Arabic: حزب البناء والتنمية, romanized: Hizb el-Benaa wa el-Tanmia, alternatively translated as Construction and Development Party) is an Islamistpolitical party in Egypt.
Initiated by the al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya ("Islamic Group"), it is seen as the political wing of the movement.[3][4] The party was established on 20 June 2011,[5] following the 2011 Egyptian revolution, and officially endorsed by the Supreme Administrative Court on 10 October 2011.[6] The Building and Development Party has participated in the 2011–12 Egyptian parliamentary election as part of the Alliance for Egypt (dubbed as the "Islamist Bloc"), led by the Salafist Al-Nour Party.[7] The possible dissolution of the party is being investigated by the Political Parties Affairs Committee.[8]
According to its manifesto, the party stands for a representative democracy with institutions guided by the principles of the Sharia, while rejecting any form of theocracy. Moreover, it favours a free economy and questions the size of the public sector.[9] Among the party's ranks is Abbud al-Zumar, who was imprisoned for nearly twenty years for involvement in the assassination of the Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.[10]
The group has accepted the resignation of Assem Abdel Magued following his incitement against the Egyptian military; the organization has expressed its commitment to peace following the coup that toppled Mohamed Morsi.[11] The party considered leaving the Anti-Coup Alliance; it has called for reconciliation with the Sisi administration.[12]al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, the parent organization of the party, is considering participating in the 2015 parliamentary election.[13]
Lawsuit against Islamic parties
The Building and Development 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."[14] The Alexandria Urgent Matters Court however ruled on 26 November 2014 that it lacked jurisdiction.[15]
