By Federica Ibrahim

Al -Tayar Al -Sha’aby announced Friday on its official page its intention to convert the coalition into a political party.

The purpose of converting the coalition into a political party is to increase its legal abilities to exert political influence, said Heba Yassin, spokeswomen for Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby.

Yassin added that the decision is not related to the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Founder Hamdeen Sabahy had stated during the founding conference of the coalition that Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby is not a party, and its membership is open to members of other parties.

Sabahy founded Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby after running for president in 2012. He stated that the aim of allying civil political forces under a political framework was important to achieve some sort of balance in the Egyptian political landscape in response to the rising influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist parties.

Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby also cooperated with the Tamarod campaign, which collected signatures calling for the removal of former president Mohamed Morsi in the leadup to his 3 July 2013 ouster. In the 2014 presidential reace, Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby opted to support Sabahy while Tamarod supported current President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.