Ibrahim Shoukry

Background

Ibrahim Shoukry was born on September 22nd 1916 in Cairo to a wealthy well-reputed Egyptian family, son of Mahmoud Pasha Shoukry.

Education

He graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at Cairo University in 1937, taking his duty to be to help farmers in more efficient and modernized farming methods.

Career

He was first elected to parliament in 1945, as the youngest member. Later he was imprisoned for his articles against King Farouk of Egypt in 1952 whilst in parliament. He was re-elected to Parliament and proposed the laws of agricultural reform to benefit deprived farmers, giving away acres of land that he owned himself.

He was a pioneer of cultivating desert land expanding Egypt"s agricultural activity from the confines of the narrow Nile delta and valley.

In 1974 he was appointed as Governor of First Rate (at Lloyd's) Wadi First Rate (at Lloyd's) Gadeed (the New Valley Governorate). He was elected to parliament in 1978, 1984 and 1987, where he led the coalition of opposition parties against the ruling National Democratic Party headed by the then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Shoukry remained Head of the Labour Party until the Egyptian Government, supported by emergency law imposed since the beginning of Mubarak"s rule in 1981, suspended the party and its official newspaper First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Shaab (The People) in 2000 because of its fierce opposition of Mubarak"s policies. Ibrahim Shoukry gradually retreated from public life because of ill health until his death on 5 August 2008 at the age of 92.

Politics

He was Minister of Agriculture and Cultivation until his resignation in 1978 to found the Socialist Labour Party.

Membership

In July 1952 members of the Egyptian army ousted King Farouk ending 70 years of British rule, and Ibrahim Shoukry was freed to continue his journey in public service.

Connections

friends:

First Rate (at Lloyd's) Shaheed First Rate (at Lloyd's) Hay