The general conference of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party on Friday, 6 November 2026, elected High Committee member Ahmed Fawzy as party chairman, succeeding Farid Zahran, in elections held at a hotel in Giza under the supervision of the National Council for Human Rights. Fawzy ran as the only candidate for the post, after the outgoing party secretary-general, MP Basem Kamel, and the party deputy chairman, MP Khaled Rashed, announced they were boycotting the election for the chairmanship.
The general conference rejected proposed amendments to the internal bylaws that would have held elections every four years instead of every two, with 487 members voting against and 392 in favour, so the length of the term remains as set in the current bylaws. Ninety-eight candidates competed for 60 complementary seats on the party High Committee.
Fawzy, one of the party founders, said in remarks before the vote that he ran as part of a three-way alliance including MP Maha Abdel Nasser for secretary-general and MP Mahmoud Sami for deputy chairman, to transfer power from the established leaders to his own generation. He added that the party is committed to the peaceful transfer of power and that he will work to prevent any exclusion or marginalisation. Maha Abdel Nasser said elections for the party Central Committee will be held two weeks after the general conference to elect deputy chairmen and secretaries.
The Egyptian Social Democratic Party was founded after the 25 January Revolution. Farid Zahran won its chairmanship in elections in April 2016.
Photo: Hamada Elrasam via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
