The Supreme Administrative Court on Saturday approved the establishment of the Wasat Party (Centre Party), which has been trying to secure an official licence for 15 years. The Wasat Party had applied four times for an official licence since the 1990s. Saturday's ruling made it the first party to gain official status after the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak on 11 February. Last week the the Supreme Council of Armed Forces dissolved both parliament houses. The ruling is expected to allow the Wasat Party, founded by a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood, to take part in upcoming elections. The party's founders first applied for the licence that would allow them to operate legally in 1996. They were denied the licence by the Shura Council's Political Parties Affairs Committee because "they didnt offer anything new." The Supreme Administrative Court based its ruling on the "ïllegality" of the Political Parties Affairs Committee's decision. It announced that the Wasat Party's political foundation is vital to the political map in Egypt and its ideologies are capable of implementation. Moreover, the court noted that Egyptian law aims to engage the maximum number of citizens in the general affairs of the country, including political issues.
