Atlantic Council Who is Participating in Egypt's Parliamentary Elections? *February 20, 2015 With the High Elections Commission (HEC) closing the door to candidate registration, over 5,000 Egyptians have applied to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections slated for March 22. 3,514 applied to run as independent candidates, while 1,539 applied to run on a party list. Of the 5,000 applicants, only 212 are women. As the date nears, at least nine coalitions are gearing up to run in the elections. Parties continue to change allegiances, moving from one coalition to another, choosing to run alone, or even deciding to boycott the elections. The following coalitions will be competing in the elections. To view how parties have switched from one coalition to another. EGYPTIAN FRONT COALITION (TAHALUF AL-GABHA AL-MASREYA) The Egyptian Front Coalition was formed in August 2014, with the alliance announcing it will operate under collective leadership. Several of the parties in the alliance have strong ties to the Mubarak regime, including Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak’s last Prime Minister, former Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal al-Din, and Nabil Dibis, a businessman and former member of the now-defunct National Democratic Party. Members: Egyptian National Movement (Al Haraka al Wataneya al Masreya) Modern Egypt Party (Misr al-Haditha) Republican People’s Party (Hizb al Shab al Gomhory) My Homeland Egypt Party (Misr Balady) Egyptian Federation of Trade Unions (EFTU) General Syndicate of Farmers Professional Syndicates Union Geel (Generation) Party The Tagammu, Ghad, and Conference parties withdrew from the Egyptian Front coalition in December. The alliance was also coordinating with Kamal al-Ganzouri to place at least twenty public figures on his list, before it collapsed. The Egyptian Front is currently in negotiations with the Wafd Party and the For the Love of Egypt Alliance. FOR THE LOVE OF EGYPT (FI HOB MISR) For the Love of Egypt (FLE) is led by former army official Sameh Seif al-Yazal. Yazal served both in the military and general intelligence services. The formation of the FLE alliance was unexpected, and the group has been accused of acting as a replacement for Ganzouri’s list. Among the parties that expressed reservations over the FLE list were the Wafd Party and the Geel Party, which belongs to the Egyptian Front. The Page 1 of 7 individual members of the alliance are said to have been selected by Yazal. Conflicting reports emerged this week on whether or not the Conference Party, founded by Amr Moussa, has joined the For the Love of Egypt list. Members: Free Egyptians Party (Hizb al Misreyeen al Ahrar) Tagammu Party (National Progressive Unionist Party) Mostaqbal Misr (Egypt’s Future) Tamarod (Rebellion Movement) Al Gomhoreya al-Thaletha (Third Republic Movement) Federation of Egyptian Workers The FLE alliance also has many prominent names running on its list, among them: FEP member Emad Gad Former Wafd Member of Parliament Margaret Azer Mona Mounir, a political female activist and former leading FEP member Osama Heikal, former minister of information and chairman of the Media Production City Mahmoud Badr; founding member of the Tamarod movement, Tarek al-Khouli; former spokesperson for April 6 Youth Movement Mohamed Farag Amer; Alexandria's industrialist tycoon Zaki al-Swedey; Business tycoon Wagih Abaza; Automobile magnate Sahar Talaat Mostafa, sister of the Mubarak-era businessmen Hisham Talaat Mostafa. Lamis Gaber; Writer Taher Abu Zeid; Sports commentator Ahmed Saeed; Ahly Club vice-chief INDEPENDENT CURRENT COALITION (TAYYAR AL ISTIQLAL) The pro-Sisi coalition was formed by the Independence Current, a party formed in 2012 as an opposition alliance to the then-ruling Mohamed Morsi. The coalition came together again in June 2014. It was also backing Ganzouri’s list before its collapse. The Independence Current is headed by Judge Ahmed Fadali. He was accused of playing a role in the attack on anti-Mubarak protesters in 2011, when thugs descended on the square riding camels and horses, in what has now become known as the Camel Battle. Kamal al-Helbawy, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Guidance Bureau, is also involved in the coalition. Helbawy left the group in 2011 in protest against its decision to field a presidential candidate. The Independence Current is reported to include a total of thirty-six parties and forty-two coalitions. Its members will run on four lists, with another 300 running as independent candidates. Among its members are: Independence Current Democratic Peace Party (Al Salam al Dimuqrati) Revolutionary Forces Bloc Page 2 of 7 Nasserist Party Tourism Workers Syndicate Al-Entemaa' Al Masry Party Al Mostaqbal al-Gedeed (New Future) Party Damietta Federation of Independent Workers After the collapse of Amr Moussa’s alliance, spokesperson Abdel Nabi Abdel Sattar called for Moussa to lead the coalition EGYPTIAN WAFD ALLIANCE (AL WAFD AL-MASRY) The Egyptian Wafd Alliance has seen much upheaval in the past few months. Led by the Wafd Party, several parties have withdrawn from the coalition or shied away from joining, among them the Tagammu Party, and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party. Most recently in February, however, the Ghad Party, the Adl Party, and the Conference Party all came together to join the Wafd Party for the upcoming elections. Within two weeks of joining the alliance, the Adl Party announced its intention to boycott the elections. The future of the Wafd alliance remains uncertain, with reports emerging that its leading party, the Wafd, plans to join the For the Love of Egypt list. The Egyptian Front has also reportedly joined forces with the Egyptian Wafd Alliance and the Conference Party for a joint electoral list in Upper Egypt. Members: Wafd (Delegation) Party Mo’tamar (Conference) Party (Unclear if the party has left the coalition) Ghad (Tomorrow) Party Adl (Justice) Party Reform and Development Misruna Party (Islah wel tanmeya) Conservative Party (Al Mohafzeen) Consciousness/Awareness (Wa’ay) Party Arab Alliance Party Arab Party for Justice and Equality Reform and Renaissance Party National Partnership Current (Tayar al-Sharaka) Pioneer (Al Reyada) Party Federation of Egyptian Workers Abroad EGYPT’S RENAISSANCE (SAHWAT MISR) Sometimes also referred to as Egypt’s Reawakening, the alliance was founded by Abdel Gelil Moustafa, a former member of the constituent assembly tasked with drafting Egypt’s constitution. The coalition has explicitly stated that it excludes all members of the NDP and the Muslim Brotherhood. Members: Civil Democratic Current National Bloc Mostaqbal Watan Party Masr Gaya Front Egyptian Social Democratic Party Socialist Party of Egypt Page 3 of 7 The coalition also includes many prominent figures, among them: Ahmed Boraie, former Minister of Social Justice George Ishaq, a leading member of the Kefaya Movement Mona Zulfaqar, a law professor Galal Amin, an economist Mervat Tallawy, the head of the National Council for Women SOCIAL JUSTICE COALITION (TAHALUF AL-ADALA AL IGTIMA’EYA) The Leftist/Nasserist coalition was formed in December, 2014, and is made up of over twenty parties and movements. The alliance’s platform includes abolishing the protest law, rejecting US aid to Egypt, and conducting speedy corruption trials. Among its prominent members are: National Association for Change (Al Gam’aiya Al Wataneya Lil Taghyeer) Nasserist People's Congress Party (Hezb al-Motamar al-Sha’by al Nassery) Nasserist National Accord Party (Hezb al-Wefaq a-Qawmy al-Nassery) Knights of Egypt Party (Hezb Fersan Misr) Egyptian Liberation Party (Al Tahrir al-Masry) The Egyptian Communist Party, the Equality and Development Party and the Kenana Party withdrew from the alliance, accusing the senior coordinator of the alliance, Gamal Zahran, of dictating rules from above. LONG LIVE EGYPT COALITION (TAHYA MISR) Founded by Major General Abdel-Rafia Darwish in August 2014, the Long Live Egypt coalition is a pro-Sisi alliance. Made up of fifty-eight parties, it also includes several retired military officials. Among the fifty-eight parties and movements on the list are: New Dawn Party (Al Fagr al Gedeed) International Association for Human Rights and Anti-corruption African Arab Center, Egypt Armed Forces Retirees Coalition Arab Revolutionary Council for Human Rights and Development Cairo University Staff Cairo Youth Coalition Independent Ecologists Syndicate Egyptian Council for Egypt’s Farmers Information Personnel Independent Journalism staff Syndicate Qena Youth Coalition Sharqiya Youth Coalition Physically Challenged Coalition Dignitaries Syndicate Cairo Coptic Youth Coalition Theater personnel Coalition POPULAR LONG LIVE EGYPT COALITION (Tahya Masr al-Sha’by) Founded in August 2014, the Long Live Egypt coalition’s members includes Mohamed al- Orabi as its general coordinator, as well as former Mubarak-era Prime Minister Ali Lutfi. Page 4 of 7 Many of its members are former ministers as well as retired police and military generals. The alliance members will run as independents. Prominent members include: Mohamed Nour Farahat, judge and constitutional expert Mustafa al-Fiqi, a political thinker and former MP Yehia al-Gammal, former Deputy Prime Minister Major General Naguib Abdel Salam Rashdan, former head of the Republican Guard Major General Hussein Kamel, former head of Omar Suleiman’s office NIDAA MISR (CALL OF EGYPT) The Nidaa Misr coalition has taken a page from Tunisia, emulating the Nidaa