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Egypt's Mubarak Orders Election Amendment

Feb 26, 5:56 AM (ET)

By MAAMOUN YOUSSEF

(AP) Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is seen in this June 26, 1995 file photo in Cairo. Mubarak...

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday ordered a revision of the country's election laws and said multiple candidates could run in the nation's presidential elections, a scenario Mubarak hasn't faced since becoming the country's leader in 1981.

In his surprise announcement, Mubarak said the country needed "more freedom and democracy," responding to critics' calls for political reform in Egypt. The possibility of a democratic election comes shortly after the historic elections in Iraq and the Palestinian territories that brought a taste of democracy to a region the United States has urged to reform.

"The election of a president will be through direct, secret balloting, giving the chance for political parties to run for the presidential elections and providing guarantees that allow more than one candidate for the people to choose among them with their own will," Mubarak said in an address broadcast live on Egyptian television.

Mubarak - who has never faced an opponent since becoming president after the 1981 assassination of Anwar Sadat - said his initiative came "out of my full conviction of the need to consolidate efforts for more freedom and democracy."


The audience before him at Menoufia University broke into applause and calls of support, some shouting, "Long live Mubarak, mentor of freedom and democracy!" Others spontaneously recited verses of poetry praising the government.

"It would be the first time in the political history of Egypt that a chance is given to somebody who is capable of shouldering the responsibility to protect the people's achievements and future security to come forward for presidential elections with parliamentary and popular support," he said.

Mubarak has not officially announced his candidacy for a fifth term, though he is widely expected to be nominated by his ruling party.

Several opposition leaders have demanded that Mubarak amend the constitution to let more than one candidate compete for the presidency. In recent meetings between opposition groups and the government, it was agreed that an amendment would be discussed after September's presidential referendum, making Mubarak's announcement even more surprising.

The move also comes amid a dispute between Egypt and the United States over the recent detention of an opposition leader.

Ayman Nour, head of the Al-Ghad Party, was detained Jan. 29 on allegations of forging nearly 2,000 signatures to secure a license for his party last year. He has rejected the accusation, and human rights groups have said his detention was politically motivated.

The prosecutor general has denied that charge.

His detention has been strongly criticized by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Rice canceled a Mideast visit that had been planned for next week, a decision believed to be in protest of Nour's detention.

Hafez Abu Saada, director of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, praised Mubarak's "unexpected step," which he said reflected local, regional and international pressure.

"It is an important step that gives the Egyptian society a strong push for more freedom and democracy," he said.