Socialist Party of Egypt

The Egyptian Socialist Party
الحزب الاشتراكي المصري
ChairmanAhmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban
FounderSamir Amin
Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban
Mamdouh Habashi
Eman Yehia
Founded18 June 2011
HeadquartersCairo
IdeologyDemocratic socialism
Political positionLeft-wing
ColoursRed
House of Representatives
0 / 568
Website
http://egyptian-socialist-party.org/

The Egyptian Socialist Party (Arabic: الحزب الاشتراكي المصري, romanized: El-Hizb El-Ishtiraki El-Masri) is a political party in Egypt which was founded by some Egyptian socialists after the 2011 Egyptian revolution.[1]

History and profile

The party was founded on 18 June 2011 at a conference attended by over 400 Egyptian & international socialists.[2] Members such as Karima El-Hefnawy and chairman Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban were prominent leaders of the Kefaya movement.[3]

Party member Mamdouh Habashi stated that the Egyptian Socialist Party saw "the uprising of January 25 not as the revolution, but just the start of a new, long revolutionary tide."[4]

Banner from the Egyptian Socialist Party

The party has a membership of over 1000,[5] with branches established in cities such as Mansoura, Aswan and Luxor as well as Cairo and Alexandria.[5]

In addition to involvement with the ongoing protests in Tahrir Square, members of the Egyptian Socialist Party are also involved with such issues as the rights of inhabitants of informal settlements in Cairo, and helped in organising protests and strikes amongst these communities in August 2011.[5] Other areas that party members within include independent trade unions and environmental issues.[5]

On 10 May 2011, the Egyptian Socialist Party agreed to enter into a Coalition of Socialist Forces with four other Egyptian leftist groups called, which includes the Revolutionary Socialists, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the Egyptian Communist Party and the Workers Democratic Party. For the 2011-2012 parliamentary election, the Egyptian Socialist Party joined the "Revolution Continues" alliance.[6] The party had originally entered the Egyptian Bloc alliance, but withdrew shortly before the elections. Party chairman Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban stated that the reason for the decision was due to "remnants of the old regime in some of the parties under the bloc".[7] Egyptian Socialist Party list leader Karima El-Hefnawy was one of only two female candidates at the head of a list standing in the elections.[8]

References

  1. ^ "A Partial Guide to the Egyptian Political Parties". Connected in Cairo. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Hundreds gather to found Egyptian Socialist Party". Worker's World. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Egyptian Socialist Party". Bikya Masr. 11 November 2011.
  4. ^ "Interview with the Egyptian Socialist Party". The Terminator Line. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "Egyptian socialists: 'Revolution has just begun'". Green Left Weekly. 30 October 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  6. ^ "Revolution Continues". Ahram Online. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  7. ^ "Revolution Continues Alliance stabilises, one day ahead of registration deadline". Ahram Online. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Revolution Continues Alliance." Jadaliyya