A Muslim Brotherhood leader on Wednesday announced that he expects the group's Freedom and Justice Party to officially begin activities on 17 June. Saad al-Katatny, deputy founder of the party, spoke to the press after submitting the party's registration documents to the Political Parties Affairs Committee. He said the committee was highly cooperative. Katatny said that the party will begin the process of selecting its executive authority and top leaders one month after it has been officially registered, as stipulated by law. Sources from the Political Parties Affairs Committee said it will convene on Sunday to examine the party's founding documents and make its final decision Monday. Katatny said he does not expect to face difficulties in the registration process. He said that the party was born strong and draws on the momentum of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been on the scene for more than 80 years. The party is not a religious one, said Katatny, although its reference is the Islamic sharia, which is mentioned in the constitution. He also said that the management of the party's finances is independent of the Brotherhood. Party founder Ahmed Abu Baraka told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the budget for the party is based on initial membership fees of LE200 per person and LE150 in monthly membership fees, as well as LE400,000 in donations from founders. He said the current party budget stands at LE3,487,350. Translated from the Arabic Edition
