Uncertainty as power struggle brews in Nour's Al Ghad party

Cairo: A few hours after a court sentenced prominent Egyptian opposition figure Ayman Nour to five years in jail over fraud, a power struggle is brewing in his Al Ghad (tomorrow) party.

Two rival members of the party have proclaimed themselves as chief of the party. Mousa Mustafa Mousa, who with three others broke away from the party last summer, staked claim to the party's leadership.

"The dispute with Nour was a legal one. Now that he has been convicted in a criminal case, Nour is stripped of his political rights, including the right to be at the helm of Al Ghad," Mousa told a press conference in Cairo. On December 24, a criminal court convicted Nour, 41, of forging documents he had presented more than a year ago to have his party officially approved.

Nour, who finished second in Egypt's first presidential elections last September, says the case is politically motivated for being an outspoken critic of President Hosni Mubarak and his family.

Publication

Mousa said he had asked authorities to ban the party newspaper currently carrying Nour's name and replace it with one bearing his name. "The new paper will come out soon," he added.

Vying with Mousa over Al Ghad's stewardship is Nour's aide Najui Al Gatrifi. Supported by Jameela Esmail, who is Nour's wife, Al Gatrifi, said he is the legal leader of the party.

"The absence of Nour is a major loss for the party. Yet, Al Ghad continues to act in line with its programme. Any changes in the party will be in conformity with the party's regulations," he said. He added he had been elected by the party's supreme board to lead it following Nour's conviction.

"Al Ghad will witness a high degree of harmony among its members and institutions in the near future." He is confident that the Political Parties Committee, a government-controlled panel in charge of licensing parties, will not get involved in the dispute over Al Ghad's leadership.

- The writer is a journalist based in Cairo