The Dostor Party has published what it calls a short version of the party manifesto in the form of booklets. The manifesto was originally published on the party’s Facebook page on Sunday and outlines the party’s goals and principles.
The party, founded by Nobel laureate and former International Atomic Energy Agency Director Mohamed ElBaradei, seeks to unite and organise the youth who participated in the 25 January revolution.
The party claims to have no set ideology, preferring to state that it only follows the revolution’s principles of “bread, freedom, social justice and human dignity” and tries to be an umbrella party with an emphasis on a “civil” state.
However, the published manifesto demonstrates an ideology and policies that are in line with general social democratic and centre-left progressive principles. One of the very first sections in the manifesto, for example, is titled “the state’s role in economic development” and in it the party clearly advocates for a strong state role in economic planning, while maintaining free market principles.
According to the manifesto, the party believes the state should enact strict legislation and produce systems that manage the economic system which includes investment, taxes, financial policies and promoting exports as well as labour law and social security.
The state should also strictly manage the country’s resources and build up its infrastructure, train and educate the labour force as well as fight corruption and monopolies.
The section entitled “the state’s responsibility to achieve social justice,” makes the state accountable for social justice through legislating against corruption, exploitation, and monopoly as well as implementing fair taxation policies, strengthening social solidarity, ensuring equal opportunities and creating opportunities for less fortunate segments of society.
The party also believes that the state should provide a safety net of social security for everyone, through meeting the basic needs of all citizens.
Furthermore, the party calls for combating poverty through increasing the state’s resources and distributing them in a fairer manner. The state should also control prices and ensure the stability of the market through supporting fair economic competition and having an independent financial policy that ensures Egypt is unaffected by global economic crises.
On the social side the party manifesto is strictly secular and progressive. It calls for treating all citizens equally, independent of race, gender, religion, and socioeconomic background. It proposes a broad cultural and social reconciliation project after the polarisation Egyptian society experienced following the last parliamentary and presidential elections.
The main tenants of the project are to steer Egyptian society towards a more accepting attitude and building a culture of accepting differences and cultural plurality.
