Leftist ideology reached its peak in the 1950s and '60s under the rule of Gamal Abdul Nasser and then declined in influence in the 1970s and thereafter. Recently, leftists have spearheaded a series of street demonstrations against U.S. policies in the Palestinian territories and Iraq -- both topics on which most Egyptians are critical of Washington.
Increasingly, the protests have focused on Mubarak. "We are not cattle that can be passed from one owner to another," said Khalil, whose party is banned. He wants to make Mubarak's possible downfall a main subject of future demonstrations.
Leftists have also been the focus of an increase in human rights monitoring. The government suspects that some human rights groups are covers for political activities.
In June, Health Ministry inspectors raided the offices of the Nadim Center for the Psychological Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, an anti-torture watchdog organization. The center runs a clinic where victims come for checkups and to get medical and legal referrals. The inspectors suggested that the clinic had too few stethoscopes and too much leftist literature and threatened to close it down.
"There is no question we are not just a clinic," said Suzanne Fayyad, a Nadim Center official. "But we have to link up with lawyers and human rights monitors. The government just wants us to measure blood pressure."
The Hisham Mubarak Law Center, another organization that battles torture, has refused to register with the government on the grounds that registration would open the way for interference. Instead, the center operates as a private law firm, even though its activities are overtly political.
"We want to challenge the right of government to control civil society," said Ahmed Seif, head of the center. "If our focus is torture, how can we ask permission from the government that practices torture?" The law center frequently hosts political strategy meetings among leftists grouped under the 20th March Movement for Change, an offshoot of March 2003 protests against the Iraq war.
"At first, Palestine and Iraq were the center of the protests. Now there is a consensus that domestic issues must take center stage," Seif said.
Parties on the right -- in Egyptian terms, this includes support for decentralized power and a market economy -- are also militating for an end to Mubarak's rule but are more cautious about taking to the streets. Ayman Nour, head of the Tomorrow Party, has published a 600-page program of proposed reforms that include multiparty democracy, a reduction of presidential powers and the elimination of socialist references in the constitution. He doubts that Mubarak will soon give up any real power. "The reality is bitter," he said. "We don't expect anything but cosmetic changes. Still, we must prepare ourselves for the right moment."
Nour, who is a member of parliament, broke from an officially recognized right-of-center group, but the government has so far refused to register Tomorrow. No matter: One recent day, he held what was effectively a campaign rally in downtown Cairo. He was carried into the hall by dancing supporters as pop music blared from loudspeakers. Politics was not a topic that night -- Nour told the group he had made lengthy speeches on reform the week before and the crowd had tired quickly of it. Instead, Nour invited a leading pop singer to perform. "This night is for fun," he told the gathering of about 2,000 people.
Although the status of Tomorrow is in limbo, Nour is recruiting members. He has also opened a Web site to present the party platform and is trying to organize a Web radio station to get around a ban that prevents him from publishing.
Even a new Islamic party has budded in Cairo's political greenhouse, and it is trying to challenge the Muslim Brotherhood. Wasat, made up of former Brotherhood members, wants to "incorporate Islamists into Egypt's political scene," Maddi said.
Like the Tomorrow Party, Wasat has been denied official registration. Maddi said the government considers Wasat a front for the Muslim Brotherhood. "This official attitude is counterproductive. Look at the results: The so-called underground Muslim Brotherhood operates the most successfully. If you abide by the law, you are weak and denied your rights."
Maddi said Wasat also finds ways to get around its lack of official sanction. It holds meetings ostensibly about the campaign for official recognition. "Of course, that includes recruitment and talking about subjects important to the public," he said. "We take our effort to form a party very seriously."
