Ägyptischer Block
Vorlage:Infobox political party
The Egyptian Bloc (Vorlage:Lang-ar, al-kutla al-miṣriyya) is an electoral alliance in Egypt. It has been formed by several liberal, social democratic, and leftist political parties and movements, as well as the traditional islamist Sufi Liberation Party to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood, and its affiliated Freedom and Justice Party from winning the parliamentary elections in November 2011. As one of the two main party coalitions, it stands as the more liberal and left-leaning equivalent to the more right-wingVorlage:Cn and conservative National Democratic Alliance for Egypt.
The 15 groups share the common vision of Egypt as a "civil democratic state", and fear that in case of an Islamist electoral victory the constitution could be changed to an Islamic one.[1]
The establishment of the coalition was publicly announced on 15 August 2011 in Cairo.[2] The assembly's objective is to present a united list of candidates for the parliamentary election, to raise funds and to campaign together. The alliance supports Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's proposal of a "constitutional decree" that could prevent the Islamists from unilaterally amending the constitution or drafting a new one, even in case of winning a parliamentary majority. Analysts see the formation as a "final attempt" of the liberal and secularist camp to cope with the Muslim Brotherhood's advance in Egypt's post-revolutionary political landscape, in respect of organisational structure, profile and publicity.[1]
The programmatic ambitions of the alliance are to establish Egypt as a modern civil state in which science plays an important role, and to create equality and social justice in the country. The objectives of the Bloc also include to make a decent life possible for the poorer population, including education, health care and proper housing. It advocates a pluralistic, multiparty democracy and rejects religious, racial, and sexual discrimination.[3]
Several leading members of the long-standing national-liberal New Wafd Party have also joined the alliance, even though the party has announced to contest the elections together with the Freedom and Justice Party.[1][4]
Member organisations
Parties and organisations which have joined the bloc:
- Political parties
- Free Egyptians Party[1]
- Freedom Egypt Party[3]
- Egyptian Social Democratic Party[3]
- National Progressive Unionist Party (Tagammu)[3]
- Egyptian Communist Party[3]
- Democratic Front Party[1]
- The Awareness Party[3]
- Sufi Liberation Party[1]
- Popular Democratic Alliance Party[4]
- Socialist Party of Egypt[4]
- Social and labour organisations
- National Association for Change[3]
- The National Council[3]
- the Farmers' Syndicate[1]
- the Popular Worker's Union[3]