The prominent liberal Al-Dostour Party is set to reshape its internal elections procedures following the unexpected resignation of its chairman Hala Shukrallah.
Shukrallah submitted her resignation on Saturday, highlighting “disputes and complications that could affect the future of the party”.
Internal disputes between Shukrallah and the party’s secretary general, Tamer Goma’a, who is running for the chairmanship in the upcoming elections, overshadowed the last weeks of Shukrallah’s tenure since she announced she is not running for the post again.
“She found that the situation has become overly inflamed, subsequently she tried to create relief,” media officer of the party Samah El-Ghazawy told Daily News Egypt.
Goma’a’s disagreement with Shukrallah was over the latter’s overseeing of the elections procedure, claiming this violates regulations.
“Her resignation could be an opportunity for people who are running for the party leadership to reconsider their positions,” El-Ghazawy said.
In her resignation statement, Shukrallah said that she hopes her decision is in favour of the party’s interests, rather than personal interests.
In February 2014, Shukrallah became the first Coptic woman to be elected to lead a political party in Egypt.
Al-Dostour’s bid to elect a new leadership is yet to select a definite date after several postponements. The party says it will reveal in the few next days clear work- and time-frames for the elections.
The vote to elect a chairman, secretary general and treasurer was set to take place on 26 June. However, internal disagreements over the voters’ database and some appeals on the candidates running for the elections forced the party to resolve these issues first.
“Naturally, we only want fair and inclusive elections that are immune from future legal disputes,” El-Ghazawy said.
