Prominent Ruling NDP member Quits Over Lack of Reform in Egypt

A senior member of Egypt’s ruling party announced his resignation from the party yesterday to protest what he called its failure to implement democratic reforms.

Osama El Ghazali Harb, a member of the National Democratic Party’s influential policy committee, said he was quitting after the committee — led by by President Hosni Mubarak’s son, Gamal — failed to adopt suggestions he and other pro-reform members have made.

He said “Egypt is going through a dreary void due to ... the inability of the ruling party to offer alternative policies...When I joined the committee I thought they are after real reform, but things have been going in a different direction.”

New Liberal Party Launch
Harb — a member of the upper house of parliament, a prominent political scientist and editor of the prestigious International Politics magazine — said he will join other disgruntled politicians to launch a liberal opposition party.