Alexandria–The ideas expressed by ElBaradei are very close to those of the Wafd Party, said Mahmoud Abaza, president of the Wafd Party. However, ElBaradei has not been invited to nominate himself for the presidency under the umbrella of the Wafd Party because he announced earlier that he prefers to not work through parties.
In his speech before members of the Wafd Party in Alexandria, Abaza said the coalition of Egyptian opposition parties–which includes the Wafd, Democratic Front, Nasserist and Tagammu parties–has urged all political powers to join the coalition.
During the meeting, members traded accusations over the management of the party. Omar Barakat, a former MP from the Wafd Party accused leaders of inviting university students to the meeting in order to create the illusion that those young attendees were members of the Youth Secretariat of the party. He also said Abaza made deals with the ruling party to place members of the Wafd Party on local councils.
After these accusations, Barakat even called for the convening of a general assembly meeting to elect a new supreme authority and leader for the party.
After the meeting, participants criticized Abaza for leaving the podium immediately after his speech, saying he feared his opponents and had rejected their calls for reforming the party.
Several members have decided to inaugurate a new branch of the party in Alexandria to be run by Noaman Gomaa, former president of the Wafd Party, said Hassan Gamal, secretary of the Wafd Youth Committee in Alexandria. Gamal said Gomaa is still the legitimate president of the party, since, according to him, the judiciary has not yet given its final word on who is the legitimate president of the party.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
