CAIRO: Head of Al-Wafd Party Al-Sayed Al-Badawy told a delegation of representatives of British parties Sunday that Al-Wafd is currently the biggest political party in Egypt and is only rivaled by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Al-Badawy said that new parties after the January 25 Revolution need resources and time in order to compete in the upcoming legislative elections scheduled in five months, but there might be a chance for strong and competitive parties in the coming years. "The revolution will lead Egypt to a new phase and within a few years, it will be the biggest democratic country in the region," he said. Al-Wafd hosted a delegation from British political parties that included Gary Strether, Conservative Party MP at the House of Commons, Howard Knights from he Labor Party, Paul Speller from the Liberal Democrats Party and Chris Livik representing smaller political parties. They discussed Al-Wafd's overview of the political scene in Egypt and the upcoming legislative elections and whether they will compete individually or form coalitions with other political powers. Al-Badawy said that it is important that the elections are held under the proportional roster system rather than the individual system. "The MB's idea of competing in the elections with a unified national roster in the face of the remnants of the NDP is still being studied within the party and will only be decided by the party's general assembly," he said. Al-Badawy headed Monday to Uganda as part of a public delegation of national figures to meet with President Yoweri Museveni and discuss solutions to the Nile Basin crisis. Al-Wafd also hosted a delegation from Hamas earlier this week.
