The new supreme body of the Salafi Nour Party on Thursday renewed confidence in the party’s president, Emad Abdel Ghafour, in response to the former supreme body’s vote of no-confidence.

Abdel Ghafour’s deputy Mostafa Khalifa had been named as his successor.

The body on Wednesday decided to include 27 new members, and refer to investigation 12 members who had withdrawn their confidence in Abdel Ghafour.

It also decided to postpone the party branch elections scheduled for Friday in nine governorates.

The Nour Party is the second largest Islamist party in Egypt, and the main party representing the Salafis. Its former supreme body withdrew confidence from Abdel Ghafour when he insisted on restructuring the membership committee before holding the elections in the governorates.

Abdel Ghafour said that the new supreme body will manage the party from Cairo and not Alexandria, and that most party members were against the withdrawal of confidence.

However, Secretary General Galal al-Morra and Ahmed Abdel Hamid, spokesperson for the party’s elections committee, said Abdel Ghafour has no authority and cannot make decisions since the supreme body withdrew confidence from him.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm