Presidential elections

By Naguib Mahfouz

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Asked whom I would nominate to stand against President Hosni Mubarak in the forthcoming presidential elections, I replied "no one".

I explained to my interlocutor that there's nobody with President Mubarak's extensive political experience, since up until now the political system hasn't been geared to providing alternative leadership figures. Of course, there are plenty of respectable Egyptians about who have proved their capabilities in the past, but the regime has never given them the opportunity to work in the public arena, so they haven't been able to accumulate the popular support needed to contest these elections. Elections are popular affairs, and individuals like the ones I talk about have never been tried out on the popular level.

One of the benefits of a democratic system is that it offers people a range of alternatives. I support the amendment to Article 76 of the constitution, though it didn't go far enough in my view. The constitution is in need of a complete overhaul: events have overtaken it. We shouldn't start thinking that democracy will arrive just because Article 76 has been amended.

Despite that, I'm optimistic. The president's decision to amend Article 76 opens the door to constitutional change, a door that has been closed for many years. And once a door has been opened it's hard to shut it again.

Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.