Exclusive Statement - Al-Sayed Al-Badawi: Could He Be the Consensus Candidate Against Yamama for the Wafd Party Presidency?

Dr. Al-Sayed Al-Badawi, former head of the Wafd Party, stated that he responded to the wishes of Wafd members to run in the party's presidential elections scheduled for next January.

Al-Badawi added in exclusive statements to "Al-Shorouk": "I claim that I might be the consensus candidate," noting that he has received calls from several Wafd members.

He continued: "My announcement to run came reluctantly in the face of strong insistence from Wafd members, responding to their repeated demands, and hoping to restore the Wafd Party to its natural position in Egyptian political life."

Al-Badawi pointed to the party's history, which disappeared after the 1952 revolution and then returned to political life in the early 1980s. He said, "The Wafd has been and will remain a party deeply rooted in the consciousness of Egyptians. The Wafd heritage has been passed down through families in most Egyptian homes, which was clearly evident even during the January 25 Revolution and the subsequent electoral milestones, where the Wafd was the leading civil party at that stage, strongly represented in both the House of Representatives and the Shura Council. It held the position of deputy speaker in both chambers and formed a strong and effective parliamentary bloc in 2015, with one of its members serving as deputy speaker of the House of Representatives."

Al-Badawi considered that the gap that occurred after 2020 between the party and the Egyptian street is not large. He said, "This gap is the result of a few years of absence, and it is easy to apologize to the Egyptian citizen for this absence and work to regain the trust of Wafd members who turned away from the party and became active leaders in other parties."

Al-Badawi emphasized that the Wafd supporters nationwide have a genuine will, and whenever they find an organizationally disciplined entity that respects the Wafd constitution and its regulations and believes in true democratic liberalism that guarantees freedom of opinion and expression, they will return to their natural party.

He stated that political money has no place in the Wafd, and the party must return to its authentic traditions, where they have always supported candidates without receiving money from them, to preserve the independence of political decisions and the integrity of party work.

The current party president, Abdel-Samad Yamama, had previously said in statements that he is considering running for another term as party president. Sources told "Al-Shorouk" that Yamama is indeed inclined to run, supported by several new Wafd leaders and some members of the House of Representatives and the Senate who entered the councils through list nominations.

Several party leaders held a meeting a few days ago to discuss the party's future and seek to reach a consensus candidate.