As Nasserist Party leaders unite rank and file members are left out in the cold, reports Mona El-Nahhas During a stormy meeting on Saturday the Arab Nasserist Party's Central Committee re-elected Ahmed Hassan for another five-year term as secretary- general. Hassan won 93 votes while Farouk El-Ashri, a member of the party's political bureau and Hassan's sole rival for the post, secured 63. Hassan's victory came as a shock to many party members who had been hoping for reform. The secretary- general has been accused of abusing his powers as well as of financial irregularities, yet he continues to command the support of the party's figure head, 80 year-old Diaaeddin Dawoud. Following the announcement of the result prominent Nasserist Party member Hossam Eissa submitted his resignation in protest at what he claimed was a faulty electoral process while Gamal Abdel-Salam, a party member from Alexandria, threatened to contest the result in court. Sayed Abdel-Ghani, a leading reformist within the party, said that many of those who voted for Hassan were not members of the Central Committee and therefore not entitled to cast a ballot. He also alleged that committee membership lists had been doctored to favour Hassan. Abdel-Ghani had earlier indicated he would run for the post of secretary-general himself only to withdraw his nomination a day before the meeting of the Central Committee in favour of El-Ashri. "What happened on Saturday was expected from the very beginning," said El-Ashri in response to his defeat. While supporting the claims of other members that the vote had been rigged the defeated candidate said he would not be taking legal action for the sake of party unity. Human rights activist Ahmed Fawzi, who closely followed the elections, warns that any lawsuit contesting the results could irreparably harm the party. "What is happening within the Nasserist Party is a reflection of the absence of democracy that prevails in almost all Egyptian political parties," Fawzi told Al-Ahram Weekly. Sameh Ashour, who was elected as the party's first deputy chairman during the party's fourth general conference -- held over two stages, the second of which was on 15 March -- is also accused by party members of betraying their interests and paving the way for Hassan's victory. Ashour, who stood on a reformist ticket, was initially opposed by Hassan, who objected to the creation of the new post of deputy chair, fearing it would curb his own prerogatives. Ashour appealed to reformists within the party and gained their support, promising to use the new position to force through policies that would reinvigorate the party. Yet as soon as he won the post, El-Ashri told the Weekly, Ashour began working out a deal with Hassan, backing away from his earlier promises. The date of the election for the secretary-general was delayed, with Ashour citing the disappearance of voters' lists as the reason. He also instigated changes in the election rules, restricting the vote to members of the central committee rather than the general conference.
