CAIRO: The Democratic Front Party is down 51 members after a series of resignations that was prompted by Ali Salmy, one of four vice presidents of the party, and Mohamed Shoukry, the chairman of the party's branch in Alexandria, according to the party's media spokesperson Ramy Azaz. Azaz told Daily News Egypt that "the resignation of a few members does not constitute a crisis for the political party. According to Azaz, Salmy and Shoukry's resignations led to the resignation of the members in the party's branch in Alexandria. Azaz also said that Shoukry has been using his private company's office as the party's headquarters since the party's establishment last May, "and has from the start indicated that he will not be able to continue in the party. The rest of the members resigned in solidarity with him. Azaz said that Dr Yehia Al-Gamal, the party's chairperson and a former cabinet minister, went to the Alexandria branch with Salmy to investigate the situation and prepare for the elections that are to be conducted soon to choose a new president to replace Shoukry. Dr Farid Ismail, a Muslim Brotherhood MP, told Daily News Egypt that the Democratic Front Party has different schools of thought and that Dr Al-Gamal adopts a different school of thought to that of Osama Al-Ghazali Harb, a former member of the National Democratic Party (NDP) who is currently the Democratic Front Party's vice president. "Any party faces problems at the beginning of its establishment, but I do not think that this should make us change our opinion or lose faith in the Democratic Front Party, as this party includes many reputable figures and is expected to play a big role in Egyptian political life, Ismail said. Ismail added that resignations take place everyday in all political parties including the ruling National Democratic Party. Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, secretary general of Al-Wafd party, agreed with Ismail that the problems facing the Democratic Front Party are "normal and can happen to any other party. "Creating and managing a political party is very difficult and needs lots of technical and personal experience especially when we are dealing with a society that is no longer interested in contributing to its own political life, Abdel Nour told Daily News Egypt. However, Abdel Nour said that the resignations show that we are incapable of working as a team and how hard it is for us to accept other opinions and communicate with people who adopt different ideologies. The Democratic Front Party, whose total number of members has reached around 2,400, according to Azaz, adopts a liberal ideology. On May 24, 2007 the Political Parties Committee under the authority of the Shoura Council licensed the Democratic Front Party, while at the same time rejecting the application of 12 other parties. Salmy's resignation leaves the Democratic Front Party with Harb, Mohamed Anwar El Sadat and Dr Hazem Al-Biblawy as its vice presidents.
