Mona El-Nahhas investigates why the Nasserist Party's chairman is dithering over whether or not to stand in the party's December elections "I will not run for the post of Nasserist Party chairman in December's elections. It is time for the younger generations to take over," announced , the 80-year-old chairman of the Arab Nasserist Party, earlier this month. His decision, he added, was final. While Dawoud's statement went down well among the party's rank and file the reaction of leading party officials was less unanimous. The announcement that their leader for 14 years -- Dawoud assumed the chair of the party upon its founding in 1992 -- had decided to quit, took several members of the party's political bureau by surprise and they immediately began to exert pressure for him to remain in post. On 7 September, during a stormy meeting of the 21- member political bureau, Dawoud was criticised for talking to the media about his decision before informing the party's leaderships. He was also asked to reconsider his decision. "Dawoud's decision to quit would lead to splits within the party's ranks and these can only damage its overall standing at such a crucial period," said Ahmed Hassan, the party's secretary-general. That Dawoud has remained silent on his future plans since the meeting is seen by many as a sign that he is reconsidering his position. According to some politburo members the issue of Dawoud's nomination will be determined only on the day of the elections, scheduled for 23 December, when the party's secretary-general and four deputy chairmen will also be elected. "Dawoud will make his decision, in accordance with the general will of members attending the party's general conference," said political bureau member Farouk El-Ashri. While elections for membership of the general conference are due to be staged next month few doubt that they will result in a majority in favour of Dawoud's renomination, giving rise to a stage-managed scenario in which Dawoud will then put himself forward for reelection to the chairmanship of the party in deference to the wishes of members. Indeed, some sources within the party suggest Dawoud's reluctance to clear things up is little more than an electoral manoeuvre. They argue that putting off any decision till the last minute will allow Dawoud time to gauge the pulse of the party. In addition, it will create a state of anarchy that will not be in the interests of any rivals to the post who will, in any case, have had little time to prepare effective campaigns. Yet others say the whole leadership issue is being carefully orchestrated by the party's secretary-general, who stands to benefit from Dawoud continuing as party leader. Hassan has been accused by party members of wasting funds, criticisms that ended only when Dawoud intervened on Hassan's behalf. Following next month's election of the new general conference Hassan is expected to start mobilising members to vote for Dawoud. Among his likely competitors are Abdel-Azim El-Maghrabi, a former Nasserist MP and assistant to the secretary-general of the Arab Lawyers Federation, Mohamed Abul-Ela, the party's deputy chairman and Hossam Eissa, military analyst and a former member of the political bureau who recently suspended his membership of the party. Anyone who currently holds a leading position within the party would be unlikely to run against Dawoud, though should he eventually decide not to stand, more candidates are likely to emerge. "For myself, I couldn't run against Dawoud. He is a symbol of the party and nobody could replace him. I'll run for the post of the party's secretary-general," said El-Ashri. Whatever the political calculations of potential candidates, most appear to agree that the party is facing a make or break situation. Membership has shrunk to just 3,000, and the party has been beset by internal splits. Several leading figures have opted to suspend their membership to protest against the way in which the party is administered, while others have quit outright following disagreements with Dawoud. In 1996 Hamdin Sabahi left the party to found the Nasserist-leaning Al-Karama which won two seats in last year's parliamentary elections while none of the Nasserist Party's 40 candidates managed to secure a seat. Dawoud failed to win in the Nile Delta constituency of Faraskour, a loss which he blamed on "flagrant electoral fraud".
