(Photo : Public Domain)
Sayed Mustafa Khalifa, the vice-president of the Salafi Al-Nour Party, reaffirmed his party’s commitment to national dialogue to solve the current political crisis.
Speaking to state-affiliated Al-Ahram, Khalifa said that Al-Nour has a responsibility to the nation to participate in national dialogue. He added that “we are all partners in the political process to achieve the interests of Egyptian citizens, considering that the citizens are the only party that can judge us”. He also rejected attempts “to drag the party into verbal battles”.
There have been reports of a rift between the presidency and the Salafi party recently following the dismissal of Al-Nour Party member Khaled Alam Eddin from his post as the president’s advisor for environmental affairs. Khalifa described Alam Eddin’s dismissal as “grave”.
Presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali denied claims that Alam Eddin’s dismissal was due to his political affiliation. Ali said that “the decision to dismiss [Alam Eddin] was made regarding him personally, and is not related to his party affiliation”.
Following Alam Eddin’s dismissal another Al-Nour Party member, Bessam Al-Zarqa, resigned from his post as the president’s advisor for political affairs. He resigned to show solidarity with Alam Eddin and to express his disapproval with the presidency’s decision.
The rift deepened on Wednesday when the party announced that it will boycott the evening session of the Shura Council because they believed that the Freedom and Justice Party had pushed through legislation on money lending. The group attended the first session but in the break the Al-Nour representatives left the chamber, reported Ahram.
The Al-Nour Party has demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Hesham Qandil and his cabinet, the legal appointment of a new prosecutor general, and the creation of a committee to supervise amending the newly-passed constitution.
The Salafi party officially met twice with the National Salvation Front to discuss common demands, which were presented to Morsi last week.
Additional reporting by Basil El-Dabh
