WUNRN
EGYPT - FIRST WOMAN ELECTED TO LEAD
MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY
The
59-year-old has become the first woman and Copt/Christian to serve as the
president of a major political party
Ahram Online - 21 February 2014
Newly elected Head of Constitution Party Hala
Shukrallah (Photo: Al-Ahram)
Hala Shukrallah won the liberal Constitution Party's elections on Friday to
succeed Mohamed ElBaradei as the party's president.
Shukrallah won 108 out of 189 votes to become the
first woman and Copt to head an Egyptian political party.
Hala Shukrallah was born in 1954. She is the director
of the
Shukrallah's opponents, former TV host Gamila Ismail
and physician Hossam Abdel-Ghafar - both also founding members - won 57 and 23
votes respectively. Two votes were spoilt.
ElBaradei resigned as party head when he was appointed
vice president following the ouster of Mohamed Morsi on 3 July. He resigned
this post to register his objection to the violent dispersal of the pro-Morsi
Rabaa Al-Adawiya protest camp which left hundreds dead.
ElBaradei posted on Twitter on Friday, encouraging the
youth and calling on them to stay united against "ignorance, extremism and
oppression.”
Party member Sayed Kassem has been acting as interim
head since July.
The party has seen public divisions and mass
resignations since its founding head resigned.
Many members resigned as the party came under fire for
El-Baradei's opposition to the violent dispersal of Rabaa.
Another major dispute was over the appointment, rather
than election, of the party's current senior leaders.
The party attracted support of a number of young
revolutionaries when it was founded by ElBaradei in 2011 after the revolution.