The liberal Wafd Party’s regional committee for Beni Sueif resigned en masse on Thursday to protest the presence of former Mubarak regime members on their candidate list for upcoming parliamentary polls.

Following the collective resignation, committee members also began a sit-in in front of the party’s Beni Sueif headquarters. According to committee head Abdel Wahab Mohamed Qutb, members had been “surprised” by the presence of Mubarak loyalists on the party’s candidate list.

The list was announced at midday on Thursday, and allegedly included several members of Mubarak’s now-defunct National Democratic Party. These NDP veterans reportedly included Amr Abdel El-Gawad, Tharwat El-Darawy, Samir Abdel Wahab, Waleed Attia, Ahmed Khalifa El-Malt and Ahmed Abdel Moneim Hemeida.