Opposition leader Ayman Nour announced on Saturday plans to form a new liberal party to gather together all the liberal forces in Egypt. Nour, who is currently chairman of the Ghad party, which he established in 2004, said the new party will be called the Free Tomorrow Civil Coalition. In a public meeting with around 30 members of his party in Alexandria, Nour said that the new party will have a civil orientation and is “open for all liberal forces that believe in the civility of the state.” Nour said that it is necessary to have a big party representing the liberal forces now, ahead of the pivotal parliamentary elections expected to be held in September. Born in 1964, Nour started his political career in the Wafd party, serving as a Member of Parliament. In October 2004, his political profile rose significantly when he established the Ghad Party. It was a main source of opposition during the years of political mobility from 2004, and Nour came second to former president Hosni Mubarak in the first multi-candidate presidential elections in 2005. “We call on all the civil and liberal forces to be part of this new coalition,” Nour said. The new party is a “strategic move in order to gather all the civil forces that have participated in the revolution.” Unable to withstand the toughest challenge of his iron-fisted rule, Mubarak stepped down on 11 February after massive protests. The Supreme Council of Armed Force (SCAF) is now temporarily in charge of running the country. “Within a week the new party will start a campaign for recruiting activists. We will focus on preparing candidates for the next People's Assembly elections,” added Nour. Asked by Al-Masry Al-Youm about the future status of the Ghad party, Nour said, “I can't leave the Ghad party with its 350,000 members and its undeniable legacy in fighting the former president. I think that the new party will work together with the Ghad in achieving political competition in post-Mubarak Egypt.” Nour was stripped of his parliamentary immunity and arrested in January 2005 on charges of forgery. A court sentenced him to five years' imprisonment, but he was released on health grounds in February 2009. According to Egyptian law, Nour cannot run for any political posts or even vote in elections because he was convicted of a “forgery crime”. This month he asked Egypt's attorney general to reopen investigations into the case. He also said this month that he will run in the upcoming presidential elections. “All the political figures that were associated with the Mubarak regime and kept silence during his 30 years in office shouldn't think of running in the elections," said Nour. "This has become a matter Egyptian people reject.” He cited the case of Ahmed Shafiq, the prime minister appointed on 29 January by Mubarak in his last days of office but forced to resign on 3 March due to pressure from protestors. When asked by Al-Masry Al-Youm whether this is the case with presidential candidate Amr Moussa -- who has served as both the secretary general of the Arab League and Mubarak's foreign minister from 1991 to 2001 -- Nour said that his statement applies to anyone who worked with Mubarak.
