Authenticity Party

Authenticity Party حزب الأصالة
Chairman	Ehab Shiha[1]
Founded	July 2011[2]
Ideology	Religious conservatism Islamism Salafism
Political position	Far-right
National affiliation	National Legitimacy Support Coalition[3]
House of Representatives	0 / 568
Politics of Egypt Political parties Elections

The Authenticity Party (Arabic: حزب الأصالة, ḥizb el-asala) is one of the political parties created in Egypt after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. It has an ultra-conservative Islamist Salafist ideology, which believes in implementing strict Sharia law.^[4] The party was formed by the former head of the Virtue Party, General Adel Abdel Maksoud; he left the Virtue Party after allegedly discovering a plot which changed the moderate principles of the party.^[5] The party is considering leaving the Anti-Coup Alliance.^[6]

In the 2011–12 Egypt parliamentary elections, the Authenticity party ran on the platform of the Islamist Bloc led by Al-Nour Party, another Salafist party. The Islamist Bloc received 7,534,266 votes out of a total 27,065,135 correct votes (27.8%). The Islamist Bloc gained 127 of the 498 parliamentary seats contested, second-place after the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. The Authenticity Party received 3 of these 127 seats.^[7]

Lawsuit against Islamic parties

The Authenticity Party is one of the eleven Islamic parties targeted by a lawsuit in November 2014, when an organization named Popular Front for opposing the Brotherhoodization of Egypt sought to dissolve all political parties established "on a religious basis."^[8] The Alexandria Urgent Matters Court however ruled on 26 November 2014 that it lacked jurisdiction.^[9]

See also

• List of political parties in Egypt

References

1. "Salafi-oriented Asala Party elects new chairman". Egypt Independent. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
2. "Al Asalah'". Hiwar Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
3. "Islamist forces join together for Rabaa Al-Adaweya protest", Daily News Egypt, 28 June 2013, retrieved 13 December 2013
4. "The Authenticity Party (Al-Assala Party)". Egypt Electionnaire. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
5. "Egypt's Salafists proliferate with yet another Salafi party in the works". Ahram Online. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
6. تحالف "المعزول" يحتضر, Al Masry Al Youm, 4 October 2014, retrieved 4 October 2014
7. "Interactive: Full Egypt election results - Interactive". Al Jazeera English. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
8. Auf, Yussef (25 November 2014). "Political Islam's Fate in Egypt Lies in the Hands of the Courts". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
9. "Court claims no jurisdiction over religiously affiliated parties". Daily News Egypt. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.