Authenticity Party Explained

Authenticity Party
Native Name:حزب الأصالة
Chairman:Ehab Shiha[1]
Founded:July 2011[2]
Ideology:Religious conservatism
Islamism
Salafism
National:National Legitimacy Support Coalition
Position:Far-right
Native Name Lang:ar
Country:Egypt
Seats1 Title:House of Representatives

The Authenticity Party (Arabic: حزب الأصالة, ḥizb el-asala) is one of the political parties created in Egypt after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. It has an ultra-conservative Islamist Salafist ideology, which believes in implementing strict Sharia law.[3] The party was formed by the former head of the Virtue Party, General Adel Abdel Maksoud; he left the Virtue Party after allegedly discovering a plot which changed the moderate principles of the party.[4] The party is considering leaving the Anti-Coup Alliance.

In the 2011–12 Egypt parliamentary elections, the Authenticity party ran on the platform of the Islamist Bloc led by Al-Nour Party, another Salafist party. The Islamist Bloc received 7,534,266 votes out of a total 27,065,135 correct votes (27.8%). The Islamist Bloc gained 127 of the 498 parliamentary seats contested, second-place after the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. The Authenticity Party received 3 of these 127 seats.[5]

Lawsuit against Islamic parties

The Authenticity Party is one of the eleven Islamic parties targeted by a lawsuit in November 2014, when an organization named Popular Front for opposing the Brotherhoodization of Egypt sought to dissolve all political parties established "on a religious basis."[6] The Alexandria Urgent Matters Court however ruled on 26 November 2014 that it lacked jurisdiction.[7]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Salafi-oriented Asala Party elects new chairman . Egypt Independent. 4 January 2013. 13 December 2013.
  2. News: Al Asalah' . Hiwar Magazine . 13 December 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131030200933/http://hiwarportal.dedi.org.eg/key/al-asalah/?por=egyptian-elections-2011 . 30 October 2013 .
  3. News: The Authenticity Party (Al-Assala Party). Egypt Electionnaire. 13 December 2013.
  4. News: Egypt's Salafists proliferate with yet another Salafi party in the works. Ahram Online. 11 July 2011. 13 December 2013.
  5. Web site: Interactive: Full Egypt election results - Interactive. Al Jazeera English. 1 February 2012. 13 December 2013.
  6. Web site: Political Islam's Fate in Egypt Lies in the Hands of the Courts . Yussef . Auf . . 25 November 2014 . 1 December 2014.
  7. News: Court claims no jurisdiction over religiously affiliated parties. 26 November 2014. Daily News Egypt. 1 December 2014.