The State Commissioner's Authority on Thursday called for the dissolution of the former ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and the liquidation and return of all of its assets to the state.
In a report on Thursday, the Authority said that the NDP was behind the corruption of political life, the deterioration of democracy, and the poor state of the economy.
The report went on to say that the NDP "moved away from the principles and values upon which it had been founded, resulting in the disruption of social and political corruption and the abuse of human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Egyptian Constitution.”
The NDP was keen on holding onto power and sought to weaken any opposition political movements and parties by restricting freedom of expression and arresting those with opposing political views, said the Authority. The report added that the government, which consisted of powerful NDP members, favored those supporting the party and gave them special privileges.
The party considered its opponents as enemies and prevented them of achieving their objectives, "going as far as the arrest of the opposition by the security authorities under the pretext of maintaining security and peace within the community," said the Authority.
The report stated that the NDP selected its leadership on the basis of class and status, assigning leadership positions both in the party and in the government to influential and affluent figures.
The report went on to note that the party had adopted this method to ensure control over the course of events in Egypt, as many leading party members held more than one position in government and parliament. The report was issued two days prior to the Supreme Administrative Court’s consideration of a lawsuit filed by a number of activists demanding the party’s dissolution.
Translated from the Arabic Edition