 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 27 May - 2 June 1999 Issue No. 431 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
 |
 |
|
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 27 May - 2 June 1999 Issue No. 431
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
|
|
|
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Living Features Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Shura backs Mubarak for new term
By Gamal Essam El-Din
The Shura Council, the consultative upper house of parliament with no legislative powers, met on Monday to recommend the nomination of President Hosni Mubarak for a fourth term in office. Speaker Mustafa Kamal Helmi reminded members that the Council is empowered by the Constitution to make recommendations on the nomination of a certain candidate for the presidential post.
Al-Shura Council renominating Mubarak for a fourth term as president
President Mubarak will be officially nominated by the People's Assembly next Wednesday. The nomination must be endorsed by at least one third of the Assembly's members, but is certain to win near unanimity. It will be approved by the people in a nationwide referendum scheduled for 1 October.
In his address to the Council, Helmi praised Mubarak for a record of historic achievements during his 18-year tenure. "He has established a strong economy for many years to come and made the principle of the supremacy of law a fence that protects the rights of citizens," Helmi said.
He said he had received a letter from the Council's members, requesting a special meeting with Mubarak to pay tribute to the president. "The President voiced great gratitude for the Shura members and wholeheartedly welcomed a meeting. The date of this meeting will be set very soon," Helmi told the Council.
A number of prominent Council members were keen to publicise their high esteem for Mubarak. Sufi Abu-Taleb, a former speaker of the People's Assembly, said that Mubarak, throughout his three terms in office, had focused on developing the nation's economic capabilities. "In this way, he is different from despotic rulers who brought disaster to their countries by involving it in destructive wars," said Abu-Taleb.
According to former prime minister Atef Sedki, President Mubarak has managed to implement a very successful economic reform programme. "Throughout all stages of this programme, Mubarak was keen that limited income groups were not adversely affected. We are eager to see Egypt step into the next century with Mubarak in the forefront to face all challenges," Sedki said.
Joining forces with Sedki, Ali Lutfi, a former prime minister, said that Mubarak's main achievement is his long-term commitment to solving the nation's chronic economic problems. "When he appointed me as prime minister in 1985 to launch the first stage of economic reform, his instructions were that this reform should be implemented without causing political instability or exposing the poor classes to injustice," said Lutfi. .
For Fikri Makram Ebeid, former secretary-general of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), Mubarak never embraced coercive methods. "Even when his two sons were exposed to slander, he resorted to justice as an ordinary citizen," said Ebeid. Mohamed Ragab, chief of the Council's NDP majority, said Mubarak had shown great respect for press freedom and a keenness to strengthen the political role of the Shura Council. "We are all aware that two years ago, President Mubarak decided to entrust the Shura Council with debating the state budget and economic development plan, although the Constitution does not stipulate this," Ragab said.
For Tharwat Abaza, President Mubarak has a long record of achievements. "One session is not enough to express our esteem for these achievements. I'm praying that Mubarak will be president for life," he said.
The week also witnessed a major shift in the positions of opposition parties on Mubarak's nomination for a fourth term. In an unprecedented move, the liberal Wafd Party declared support for the nomination following a three-hour meeting of its Supreme Committee on Sunday. In a statement, the party expressed hopes that Mubarak, during his fourth presidential term, would achieve the nation's aspirations for true democracy by launching a wide-scale political and constitutional reform programme. "This reform should curtail the President's powers, abolish the emergency law and amend the law on the exercise of political rights to ensure the integrity and freedom of parliamentary elections," the statement said.
Equally surprising was the decision taken by the leftist Tagammu Party on the nomination. At a meeting of its general secretariat last week members voted 29 to 19 in favour of abstaining in the parliamentary nomination vote. The decision was a major turnaround in Tagammu's position. The party had always objected to Mubarak's nomination on the grounds that his policies favoured the affluent at the expense of the poor.
