National Democratic Party

The National Democratic Party (NDP) was the largest and most successful political party during the presidencies of Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak. For decades the NDP dominated Egyptian politics in what had become essentially an authoritarian single party system established by Gamal ‘Abd al-Nasser in the 1950s. The NDP was founded by Sadat in 1978 in the wake of the restructuring of the Arab Socialist Union as a combination of three nationalist socialist parties. The NDP maintained close contacts with the Egyptian military and business interests, and promoted a neoliberal economic agenda.

Following the Arab Spring protests, the NDP was dissolved and its assets seized by Egyptian courts. Former members have established new parties, including the Egyptian Street Party, which is composed of over 200 former NDP parliamentarians.

Sources:

Al-Masry Al-Youm, “Former NDP members to form new party,” Egypt Independent, February 20, 2013, accessed January 14, 2014.

Matt Bradley, “Egypt’s Former Ruling Party Dissolved—But Not Defunct,” The Wall Street Journal, April 18, 2011, accessed January 14, 2014.

Dina Shehata, Islamists and Secularists in Egypt: Opposition, conflict, and cooperation (New York: Routledge, 2010).