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Wafd Party faces dilemma after endorsing Mansour Hassan for presidency Egypt's traditional liberal party turns about-face, to the chagrin of many members, supporting Mansour Hassan over Amr Moussa for the presidency
On 7 March, the Egyptian Wafd Party announced that it would give its full support and endorsement to potential presidential candidate Amr Moussa. But as soon as former minister of information Mansour Hassan announced that he was going to run for the presidency, on the very same day, the Wafd Party's Central Committee held a meeting at night and announced it would endorse Hassan instead of Moussa. The sudden turnaround surprised the party's youth who are largely behind Moussa for the presidency. Not only did the party's youth not approve the Central Committee decision, but also party's members in parliament in Egypt's governorates started to collect endorsement statements for Moussa. According to media reports, not less than 10 MPs from the Wafd Party have already announced their support for Moussa, contrary to the Central Committee's decision to endorse Hassan. On Tuesday, Tarek Sabak, the head of Wafd Party parliamentary committee, issued a statement declaring that Wafd MPs would abide by the party's decision to endorse Hassan. Yet on Wednesday, Bahaa Abu Shoka, the party's vice-chairman, told the media that the Wafd Party's executive held a meeting Tuesday and issued a decision that the party's MPs not sign any endorsementstatements for any candidate, even Mansour. It was expected that Wafd Party's Higher Committee would hold a meeting to resolve the split in opinion, yet this meeting was postponed Monday.Inner sourcesclaim that Al-Sayed El-Badawy, the current Wafd party leader had given his word to Hassan despite the opposition of many party members. Moussa did not comment on the disarray in the party. Hassan said two days ago that the party still endorses him, despite the opposition of young Wafd members. Hassan's campaign announced that he would not depend on citizens' endorsements, but the endorsements of 30 members of parliament. Former Wafd party leader and former presidential candidate in the 2005 presidential elections, Noman Gomaa, slammed the decision of the party to support Hassan in a TV show on Nahar Channel Tuesday. According to the presidential elections law, potential presidential candidates need the written endorsement of 30 member of parliament, or 30,000 signed endorsements from across Egypt's governorates, in order to be eligible to run for the presidential post. The Wafd Party is not the only party facing a dilemma when it comes to which presidential candidate to endorse. Al-Wasat Party is reportedly divided on whether it should endorse Mohamed Salim El-Awa or Abdel Moneim Abu El-Fatouh. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/36767.aspx
