The Egyptian political arena is witnessing unprecedented activity following the 25 January uprising, with calls for the establishment of 13 new political parties. Political thinker Tarek Higgy said he had contacted Coptic political activist Michael Mounir to collect signatures for the creation of a new party that aims to establish a secular and democratic state based on the principles of citizenship, liberalism and religious freedom. Also, some 100 leftists met on Tuesday to prepare for the establishment of a party of their own. Spokesmen for the Liberation, Development and Defense Front said they had so far collected 20,000 signatures from citizens all over the country. What's more, 5000 National Democratic Party members have also decided to form a new party, to be called the Egyptian Youth party. Muslim Brotherhood (MB) member Nageh Ibrahim, meanwhile, said his group intended to establish a “civil” party with an “Islamic orientation” now that the group is no longer banned by the state. MB dissident Khaled al-Zaafarany, for his part, said that 500 young people from the 25 January Revolution in Alexandria had vowed to join his new party, dubbed the Islamic Justice and Development Party after Turkey's ruling Islamist party. The Egyptian Orthodox, Anglican and Catholic Churches, however, have refused to establish a political party for Christians, saying this would merely contribute to sectarian strife. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
