SanjayGhare at 05:49, 27 January 2026

2026-01-27T05:49:36Z

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{{Short description|Political party in Egypt}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = New Center Party
| native_name = حزب الوسط الجديد<br />Hizb al-Wasat al-Jadid
| native_name_lang = ar
| logo = Wasat Party, Egypt.png
| colorcode = #960018
| president = Mohamed Abdel Latif (acting)<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.youm7.com/story/2014/11/24/%D8%AD%D8%B2%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%B7--%D9%85%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-28-%D9%86%D9%88%D9%81%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%AE%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%A9-%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%88%D9%81%D9%82%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%84%D9%86-%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%83-%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%87%D8%A7/1964350#.VHN8fmdNfSc|title=حزب الوسط: مظاهرات 28 نوفمبر خطوة غير موفقة ولننشارك فيها|agency=Youm7|date=24 November 2014|access-date=24 November 2014}}</ref><br />[[Abou Elela Mady]]
| leader1_title = Vice-President
| leader1_name = [[Essam Sultan]]
| leader2_title = Vice-President
| leader2_name = [[Mohamed Mahsoub]]
| leader3_title = Secretary-General
| leader3_name = [[Mohammed Abdul-Latif]]
| leader4_title = Spokesperson
| leader4_name = [[Amr Farouk]]
| slogan = الوطن قبل الوسط<br />Motherland before Al-wasat
| split = [[Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/files/cp_67_grayzones_final.pdf|page=18|title=Islamist Movements and the Democratic Process in the Arab World: Exploring the Gray Zones|work=Herbert Quandt Stiftung|year=2006}}</ref>
| founded = {{Start date|1996}}
| legalized = 19 February 2011
| dissolved = 
| headquarters = 8 Pearl St., [[Mokattam]], [[Cairo]]
| membership_year = 2011
| position = [[Centrism|Centre]]<ref name="Almasry Alyoum">{{Cite web|author=Shaimaa el-Karanshawi|date=19 February 2011|title=Egypt court approves moderate Islamic party|work=[[Almasry Alyoum]]|access-date=10 January 2026|url=http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/323634|archive-date=4 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104092809/http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/323634}}</ref>
| membership = 5.088<ref name=KAS>{{cite web |title=Länderbericht Parteienmonitor Ägypten 2011 |url=http://www.kas.de/wf/doc/kas_29524-1522-1-30.pdf |publisher=[[Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung]] |language=de |page=3 |date=27 November 2011 |access-date=18 October 2015}}</ref>
| ideology = [[Islamic democracy]]<ref>[http://www.aucegypt.edu/gapp/cairoreview/pages/articleDetails.aspx?aid=100 The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, "Egypt Elections: al-Wasat (Center Party)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130235012/http://www.aucegypt.edu/GAPP/CairoReview/Pages/articleDetails.aspx?aid=100 |date=30 January 2012 }}. Retrieved 31 January 2012</ref>
| national =
| colors = Maroon
| country = Egypt
| seats1_title = [[House of Representatives (Egypt)|House of Representatives]]
| seats1 = {{Composition bar|0|568}}
| website =
}}

The '''al-Wasat Party''' ({{langx|ar|حزب الوسط|Hizb al-Wasat}}), translated in English as the '''Center Party''', is a moderate [[Islamist]] political party in [[Egypt]].<ref>[http://egyptelections.carnegieendowment.org/2010/09/16/center-al-wasat-party Egypt Elections – Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, Guide to Egypt's Transition, "Al-Wasat (Center Party)".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130141131/http://egyptelections.carnegieendowment.org/2010/09/16/center-al-wasat-party |date=30 January 2012 }} Retrieved 31 January 2012</ref>

== History ==
=== Foundation ===
The party was founded by [[Abou Elela Mady]] in 1996 as a split from the [[Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt]],<ref name=map>{{cite web|author=Dina Shehata|title=Mapping Islamic Actors in Egypt|url=http://media.leidenuniv.nl/legacy/mapping-islamic-actors---version-2.2.pdf|publisher=Islam Research Program|access-date=6 October 2014|date=March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927043841/http://media.leidenuniv.nl/legacy/mapping-islamic-actors---version-2.2.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> which Mady accused of having "narrow political horizons." The creation of al-Wasat was criticized by the Brotherhood, which said Mady was trying to split the movement.<ref name="Reuters">{{Cite news|title=New party shows deep political change in new Egypt|author=Sarah Mikhail|author2=Tom Perry|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-idUSTRE70O3UW20110219|work=[[Reuters]]|date=19 February 2011|access-date=10 January 2026|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110220043329/https://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/19/us-egypt-idUSTRE70O3UW20110219| archive-date=20 February 2011|url-status= live}}</ref> It was also not well received by the Egyptian government, which brought its founders before a [[Military tribunal|military court]] on the charge of setting up a party as an Islamist front.

Al-Wasat tried to gain an official license four times between 1996 and 2009, but its application was rejected each time by the political parties committee, which was chaired by a leading member of the ruling [[National Democratic Party (Egypt)|National Democratic Party]].<ref name="Reuters"/> Political parties formed on the basis of religion have been banned by the [[Constitution of Egypt|Egyptian constitution]] since an amendment to Article 5 was [[2007 Egyptian constitutional referendum|approved in 2007]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cabinet.gov.eg/AboutEgypt/HTML/Constit_update2007_e.pdf |title=Constitutional Amendments of 2007 |publisher=[[Cabinet of Egypt]] |access-date=19 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217033527/http://cabinet.gov.eg/AboutEgypt/HTML/Constit_update2007_e.pdf |archive-date=17 December 2010 }}</ref>

=== Recognition ===
Al-Wasat was granted official recognition on 19 February 2011 after a court in [[Cairo]] approved its establishment. The court's ruling was handed down in the wake of the [[Egyptian Revolution of 2011]], and made al-Wasat the first new party to gain official status after the [[Resignation of Hosni Mubarak|resignation]] of [[President of Egypt|President]] [[Hosni Mubarak]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=After 15-year wait, Egypt's Wasat Party approved|author=Tom Perry|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/egypt-politics-party-idUSLDE71I06320110219|work=[[Reuters]]|date=19 February 2011|access-date=19 February 2011}}</ref> Its newly acquired official status allowed al-Wasat to compete in the [[2011 Egyptian parliamentary election|next parliamentary election]], and made it the first legal party in Egypt with an Islamic background.<ref name="IANS">{{Cite news|title=Egypt court approves country's first Islamic party |url=http://www.sify.com/news/egypt-court-approves-country-s-first-islamic-party-news-international-lctu4fiafed.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222195317/http://www.sify.com/news/egypt-court-approves-country-s-first-islamic-party-news-international-lctu4fiafed.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 February 2011 |format=Reprint|work=[[Indo-Asian News Service]]|date=19 February 2011|access-date=19 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=19 February 2011 |title=Egypt licenses first moderate Islamic party|journal=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |access-date=20 February 2011|url=https://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=208916|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110219124334/http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=208916|archive-date=19 February 2011 |url-status= live}}</ref>

=== 2011/2012 parliamentary election ===
The party initially was part of the [[Democratic Alliance for Egypt]], though it left in October 2011<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2010/09/wasat-party?lang=en|title=Wasat Party|work=[[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]] |access-date=10 January 2026}}</ref> and later allied with the [[Renaissance Party (Egypt)|Renaissance Party]] and the [[Pioneer Party]], both of which were also offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/24640/Al-Wasat-Party|title=Al-Wasat Party|work=Jadaliyya|date=18 November 2011|access-date=26 January 2026}}</ref> and won 10 seats.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/33/100/32384/Elections-/News/Egypts-postMubarak-legislative-life-begins-amid-te.aspx|title=Egypt's post-Mubarak legislative life begins amid tension and divisions|date=23 January 2012|access-date=26 January 2026|work=Ahram Online}}</ref>

=== Post-coup d'etat ===
The leader of the party, [[Abou Elela Mady]], as well as deputy head Essam Sultan, were detained following the [[2013 Egyptian coup d'état]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Wasat Party initially boycotting constitutional referendums|url=http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/12/17/wasat-party-initially-boycotting-constitutional-referendum/|agency=Daily News Egypt|date=17 December 2013|access-date=17 December 2013}}</ref> Elela Mady was released in August 2015.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pro-Morsi political leader Abul-Ela Madi released from jail|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/137716.aspx|agency=Ahram Online|date=13 August 2015|access-date=19 December 2025}}</ref>

The party withdrew from the [[Anti-Coup Alliance]] on 28 August 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://thecairopost.com/news/123570/inside_egypt/wasat-party-withdraws-from-nasl-considers-parliamentary-elections-source|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830054444/http://thecairopost.com/news/123570/inside_egypt/wasat-party-withdraws-from-nasl-considers-parliamentary-elections-source|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 August 2014|title=Wasat Party withdraws from NASL, considers parliamentary elections: Source|agency=Cairo Post|date=28 August 2014|access-date=28 August 2014}}</ref> A court case was brought forth to dissolve the party,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/egyptsource/political-islam-s-fate-in-egypt-lies-in-the-hands-of-the-courts|title=Political Islam's Fate in Egypt Lies in the Hands of the Courts|author=Yussef Auf|date=25 November 2014|work=Atlantic Council|access-date=10 January 2026}}</ref> though the Alexandria Urgent Matters Court ruled on 26 November 2014 that it lacked jurisdiction.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/11/26/court-claims-jurisdiction-religiously-affiliated-parties/|title=Court claims no jurisdiction over religiously affiliated parties|date=26 November 2014|work=Daily News Egypt|access-date=1 December 2014}}</ref>

==Ideology==
According to the [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]], al-Wasat "seeks to interpret Islamic sharia principles in a manner consistent with the values of a liberal democratic system. Although al-Wasat advocates a political system that is firmly anchored in Islamic law, it also views sharia principles as flexible and wholly compatible with the principles of pluralism and equal citizenship rights."<ref name="Almasry Alyoum"/> The party's manifesto accepts the right of a Christian to become head of state in a Muslim-majority country.<ref name="IANS"/> Its founder Mady likens its ideology to that of the Turkish [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party (AKP)]].<ref name="Reuters"/>

==Electoral history==

===People's Assembly elections===
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!Election
!Seats
!+/–
|-
|[[2011–12 Egyptian parliamentary election|2011–12]]
|{{Composition bar|10|596|{{party color|Al-Wasat Party}}}}
|{{increase}} 10
|}

==See also==
*[[List of Islamic political parties]]
*[[List of political parties in Egypt]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{Cite book|last=Norton|first=Augustus Richard|year=2005|chapter=Thwarted Politics: The Case of Egypt’s Hizb al-Wasat|editor=Robert Hefner|title=Remaking Muslim Politics: Pluralism, Contestation, and Democratization|publisher=Princeton University Press|pages=133–60|access-date=20 February 2011|url=http://people.bu.edu/arn/Hizb%20al-Wasat1.pdf}}
*{{Cite journal|last=Wickham|first=Carrie Rosefsky|date=January 2004|title=The Path to Moderation: Strategy and Learning in the Formation of Egypt's ''Wasat'' Party|journal=Comparative Politics|volume= 36|issue= 2|pages=205–228|doi=10.2307/4150143|jstor=4150143}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*https://twitter.com/Alwasatpartyeg

{{Egyptian political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wasat Party, Al}}
[[Category:1996 establishments in Egypt]]
[[Category:2013 Egyptian coup d'état]]
[[Category:Centrist parties in Egypt]]
[[Category:Egyptian revolution of 2011]]
[[Category:Islamic political parties in Egypt]]
[[Category:Organisations of the Egyptian Crisis (2011–2014)]]
[[Category:Offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1996]]

Al-Wasat Party - Revision history

SanjayGhare at 05:49, 27 January 2026