Egypt has rejected a request to set up a moderate Islamist party, a decision the group's founders said on Monday showed government talk about political reform was not serious.
The New Wasat party, or New Centre party, which advocates a flexible version of Shariah or Islamic law, applied for recognition in May but founders said the application was rejected on Saturday.
The founders requested recognition twice in the 1990s, and were turned down on both occasions. But they had said they were trying again amid signs of reform in Egypt, which has not seen power change hands through elections for more than 50 years.
Members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), which holds 85 percent of the seats in parliament, spoke of political change and the need for dialogue with opposition parties at an annual conference last month.
But critics said there was nothing concrete to show the NDP was ready to loosen its grip on power, though the party did showcase a raft of economic reforms.
The Egyptian authorities have rejected all previous attempts to set up parties deemed to be promoting a religious agenda.
Comments
Comments are closed.