Socialist Labour Party (Egypt)

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The Socialist Labour Party
Chairman Ibrahim Shoukry
Founded 1978
Headquarters Cairo
Political Ideology Socialism
Papers alshaab newspaper; currently suspended
Website http://www.el3amal.net
See also Politics of Egypt

Political parties in Egypt
Elections in Egypt

The Socialist Labour Party ("Labour Party"; Arabic: Hizb al-a'mal حزب العمل الاشتراكى) is an Egyptian political party. It is currently suspended.

Contents

[edit] Platform

The party platform calls for:

  • Establishing an economic system based on the Islamic Shari'ah.
  • Protecting the national industries.
  • Equal distribution of investments among the Egyptian governorates.
  • Achieving unity between Egypt, Sudan and Libya.
  • Liberating the occupied Palestinian lands.
  • Promoting ties with the developing countries. [1]

[edit] Political Ideology

The party established on September 9th, 1978, by Ibrahim Shoukry and others was originally a social party. Since 1986 the party has undergone a major ideological change turning into an islamic party. This change was first demonstrated in the party's fifth conference in 1989 which was entitled "Reform from islamic prospective". [2]

[edit] 1990 elections

The party and a few others abstained from the election because of an amendment to the 1972 Electoral Law forbidding unified lists, with the Socialist Labour Party attempting to combine with the Muslim Brotherhood for election purposes.

[edit] Suspension

On May 20th, 2000 the Egyptian committee for political parties' affairs (the committee responsible for authorizing the formation of political parties in Egypt) decided to freeze the activities of the Labor Party and suspend its newspaper al Shaab. The Committee referred to Article 17 of the political parties law, which enables it to suspend the activities of a party, as a means of stopping any decision or act by a party that is contrary to the higher interests of the country. The committee attributed its decision to the split within the party ranks, with one group led by Hamdi Ahmad, a member of the party’s executive committee, and the other led by Ahmad Idris. The Committee, in its decision, referred to the official complaint brought by the those members concerning the selection of a new party chair. The two party members also asked for Al-Shaab to be suspended from publication and a freeze to be put on the party’s bank account. Labor Party chairman Ibrahim Shoukry described these demands as illegal.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Politics/Parties/Parties/041102000000000006.htm The Socialist Labour party] from Egypt State information service.
  2. ^ http://el3amal.worldispnetwork.com/ta3reef.htm (Arabic)
  3. ^ http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/10461/ Press release:EOHR condemns committee's decisions against Egypt's Labor Party and its newspaper.


[edit] External links

  • Labour's party website.
  • alShaab, Labour's party official newspaper currently suspended but is still published online.
  • [1] The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights Annual report; Violations of Human Rights 2000-2001; part 9: The right to establish parties, associations & unions.