The newly elected chairman of the Wafd Party has promised to revive Egypt's oldest political party. But is there any basis for optimism, asks Shaden Shehab "Political reform in Egypt will gain momentum once the Wafd Party is itself reformed and revived," says Sayed Badawi, the 60-year-old newly elected chairman of the liberal Wafd Party. "It high time that a deep-rooted party like the Wafd begins to be a key player in the country's political life." Elections for the post of Wafd Party chairman, which took place last Friday, turned into a fierce competition between the former chairman, Mahmoud Abaza, and business tycoon Sayed Badawi. Of the 2,036 member general assembly, 1,472 voted. Badawi won 839 votes, Abaza 630, with the remaining three cast for Iglal Ali. Under party statutes elections for the post of chairman must be held every four years. Although there was a clear security force presence outside the party's headquarters, observers -- who included representatives of 35 non-governmental organisations -- say the poll was transparent and well organised, and voting fair. Elections ballot opened at 11am. Members of the party's general assembly flocked to its Doqqi headquarters and then sat in the spacious garden of the elegant villa, awaiting the announcement of the results which finally came at 7pm. Immediately after the results were announced Badawi, Abaza, and secretary-general Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour -- who had publicly announced his support for Abaza -- appeared, raising their arms hand in hand in a sign of unity. Badawi said that the victory was not his own but belonged to the party, while Abaza declared that he remained dedicated to serving the party. It was all a far cry from events of April 1996, when the Wafd headquarters were left in tatters after former chairman Noaman Gomaa was ousted by Abaza. Armed thugs had stormed the building in an attempt to restore Gomaa, occupying parts of the villa for 10 hours, and torching others. Although Badawi says he took part in planning the ousting of Gomaa he has barely set foot in the party's headquarters since. "Some leading Wafdists did not like my presence, so I preferred to keep a low profile," Badawi said. "Yet I remained fully acquainted with everything that was happening." "Last Friday's elections are a lesson to all political parties, especially the ruling National Democratic Party [NDP]. They presented a model of democratic practice and, more importantly, something that is new to us, the rotation of power," said George Ishaq, a leading member of Kifaya. "Abaza is the only chairman of an Egyptian political party to accept that he has actually lost an election." Badawi, who is the owner of Al-Hayat satellite channel and Sigma Pharmaceutical Company, is a member of the party's higher council and a former secretary-general. Before the 1952 Revolution, the Wafd swept to one massive parliamentary majority after another. Since its comeback in 1978, with pre- revolutionary minister of the interior Fouad Serageddin "Pasha" at its head, the party has at best scored a limited success. In the 1984 elections, in tacit alliance with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, it won 56 seats and was the only opposition party that managed to gain representation in the People's Assembly. In 1987 it won 35 seats. Currently there are five Wafd MPs, compared to the 88 seats won by the Muslim Brotherhood. Following the death of Serageddin in 2000 and the election of Gomaa, the party steadily lost its impact and became increasingly divorced from the street. The Wafd Party attracted some attention in 2005 when Gomaa broke ranks with the opposition boycott and stood in the presidential elections, but the results made his party look more out of touch than ever. With a party fund of LE90 million, Badawi has vowed that if there are no signs of revival in the party's fortunes within 18 months then he will resign. "I expect public figures and young people to be the first to be encouraged to join the Wafd Party," he said. Indeed, reports are already circulating that business tycoons Naguib Sawiris and Ramy Lakah joined the party this week. "If the youth of the 6 April movement and other change movements had been convinced that one of the existing parties offered them a viable home they would have joined it. This can still happen," says Badawi. "Our immediate task is to plan for the October parliamentary elections," he continues. "While we cannot be expected to compete with the NDP in such a short time, we can compete with the Muslim Brotherhood. Instead of having to choose between the NDP and the Muslim Brotherhood, we can offer the voters a third way." But wouldn't some other party battling it out with the MB be a dream come true for the ruling NDP? "Our target is not to eliminate the MB but to increase our presence in the street and win more seats in parliament. The MB is not about to vanish. Nor do I think their banned status is meaningful. They have a presence in the Egyptian street and anyone who pretends otherwise is bluffing." Is the regime willing to tolerate an opposition party that can compete effectively with the NDP rather than act as democratic décor for Egypt's detractors? "I was elected to revive the party. The road to becoming a strong opposition party is long and tough but I will take it whatever the costs." Badawi's confidence is not shared by political commentators. The NDP, believes political expert Wahid Abdel-Meguid, would like the Wafd Party "to take on the MB". But, he adds, "the regime has realised too late that strong political parties could weaken the MB." Political science professor Mustafa Kamel El-Sayed sees the problems facing the Wafd in even cruder terms. "There is no prospect of rotation of power or an opposition party becoming the majority in parliament" if the regime is unwilling to forgo its habitual fixing of elections. Political parties can "make a difference" he says, "only if there are fair elections and no restrictions on public activities". Badawi, though, remains convinced a resurgent Wafd can, and will, make a difference. He is determined the party will field a candidate in the 2011 presidential elections. "There will definitely be a candidate but it is up to the party's Higher Council to choose who it is. I would be happy to run for the presidency if I was chosen but we have many other eligible candidates." Badawi's firs priority, he says, is to "energise Al-Wafd newspaper so it once again attracts the Egyptian public". "I have already told the chief editor, Said Abdel-Khaleq, that the party will not interfere in the newspaper and that my photos and news should not appear." But according to Abdel-Meguid, promises are not enough. "Badawi has yet to say how he will revive the party or provide any sort of long-term plan. Just preventing any deterioration of the party will be a difficult enough task." Abdel-Meguid believes signs of optimism, both within the party and the public at large after Badawi was elected, show simply that "people are hungry for change". During this week's Shura Council elections the Wafd fielded just 10 candidates.
