Will the Wafd Party's emergency general assembly put an end to the legal battle over the party's leadership? In the wake of a court ruling on the party leadership, hundreds of Wafdists assembled at the headquarters of their liberal party last Friday to renew their confidence in party leader Mahmoud Abaza, Mona El-Nahhas reports. The Administrative Court had just annulled the June, 2006, decree issued by the Political Parties Committee (PPC) recognising Abaza as Wafd Party leader. The ruling came in response to an appeal filed by Noaman Gomaa, the former leader of the party who was ousted by Abaza in January 2006. In response to the court ruling, which threw Wafdists into chaotic frenzy, Abaza summoned all Wafd members to Friday's emergency general assembly. A large turnout of about 96.5 per cent of party members rallied to Abaza's side. Fearing violence from Gomaa and his supporters, Abaza's camp appealed to the security apparatus to protect the party's headquarters. On Friday, the streets leading to the party headquarters were cordoned off by the police, and armoured vehicles packed with central security forces lined the surrounding area. In April 2006, Gomaa -- accompanied by a handful of supporters, including his close associate Ahmed Nasser, and almost 60 hired thugs armed with guns and knives -- stormed the Wafd's headquarters in a desperate attempt to reinstate Gomaa. "Nobody has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of our party," Abaza told the emergency meeting. "Nobody but you has the right to protect the Wafd Party and guarantee a continued march towards its reform." His call resonated with the crowd: "Today's meeting stresses the legitimacy of Abaza and is clear evidence of Wafdists rejecting Gomaa," stated Bahaaeddin Abu Shoqqa, member of the Wafd's Higher Committee. Abu Shoqqa added that the Wafd has no place for intruders or anyone who is attempting to usurp the power of others. "All decisions made today are legitimate and reflect the free will of Wafdists," he declared. The party's Honorary Chairman Mustafa El-Tawil attempted to dispel the fears of members about the future of their party, by saying that the most recent court ruling "has nothing to do with the legal status of Abaza who was elected by the general assembly of 2006." El-Tawil added that Abaza was not appointed by the PPC, against which the ruling was passed. Naturally, Gomaa and his camp refuted the legitimacy of Friday's general assembly altogether, even before it was held. Nasser, Gomaa's close associate, views Abaza's move in 2006 as a hijack of the party. He told Al-Ahram Weekly that holding the emergency assembly after the court ruling constitutes a clear challenge of the law. Nasser further revealed his intention to sue the Interior Ministry if it declines to carry out the ruling which he believes favours Gomaa. "We informed all the concerned parties of the ruling as soon as it was issued," explained Nasser. "Yet due to Abaza's connections with top state officials, nobody moved." On Tuesday, Gomaa, Nasser and a few dozen supporters held a news conference at a downtown apartment which they have been using as alternate headquarters for the Wafd Party. At the news event, Gomaa and Nasser vowed to continue their struggle to liberate their party. Despite the results of Friday's general assembly which strengthened Abaza's position, political analysts do not expect that the legal battle over the Wafd leadership would be settled easily. "Of course, this would not be in the interest of the regime," noted political analyst Amr Hashem Rabie. "Gomaa's ghost will appear whenever Abaza attempts to raise the tone of Wafd's opposition."
