Mubarak proposes a freer Egypt vote
The Substance
Mubarak proposes a freer Egypt vote
By Neil MacFarquhar The New York Times
Monday, February 28, 2005
Skeptics want to know details of plan
CAIRO On the face of it, a proposal from President Hosni Mubarak to amend the Egyptian Constitution to allow for direct, multiparty presidential elections represents a drastic change in a country with a 50-year history of autocratic governments.
"The president will be elected through direct, secret balloting, opening the opportunity for political parties to run in the presidential elections and providing guarantees that allow more than one candidate for the people to chose from with their own will," Mubarak said, speaking live on television Saturday at the University of Menoufiya in the delta.
Some analysts and opposition politicians praised the proposal as heralding a new era for Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation. But skeptics said they would examine the details to make sure that the eventual constitutional amendment would not create merely the appearance of democracy, a common facade in the region.
Proponents said the measure was the first, central step in reviewing Egypt's entire constitution and answered both vocal domestic demands for increased democracy and stepped-up pressure from the United States.
The announcement by Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt unchallenged since 1981, follows elections in Iraq and among Palestinians and the first limited nationwide municipal polls in Saudi Arabia, leaving the region bubbling with expectations for political reform.
"This is a major decision. You are talking about the structure of the political system in Egypt," said Mohamed Kamal, a political science professor at Cairo University who serves on an advisory committee of Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party.
Other analysts, however, sounded notes of doubt, pointing out that Parliament, dominated by the National Democrats, planned to take about two weeks to work out the details of the amendment. Other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, like Tunisia, allow a few hand-picked opposition members to run, but the president gets virtually all the publicity and racks up an overwhelming majority in each election.
Parliament here has a long history of diluting reforms, critics noted, and may yet announce rules on candidacy that would create the aura of democracy while blocking any real change. Also, Mubarak mentioned amending only the constitutional article on how the president is chosen, No. 76, not No. 77, which provides for unlimited terms.
"This is a way to improve his image with the Americans and to please them with some formal changes," said Ibrahim Eissa, a columnist and political analyst. "While at the same time he is keeping everything else unchanged, like the emergency laws, imprisoning the opposition, the state controlling the media and political parties existing just on paper. This is deception."
Essam el-Eryan, a leader in the Muslim Brotherhood, a fundamentalist group that is banned as a party, noted that the revision might limit the choice of candidates by barring those not endorsed by a legal political party.
For instance, Ayman Nour was imprisoned on Jan. 29 on allegations of forging 2,000 signatures to gain a license last year for his party, Al Ghad. He denies the accusation.
Critics of the government noted that Nour's continued detention seemed to undermine the president's commitment to greater democracy.
"The only credible candidate against Mubarak is lying in prison on trumped-up charges," said Hisham Qassim, a newspaper editor and vice president of Al Ghad.
Supporters of the election measure called it an important step, believing it comes in response to marked internal changes in Egypt over the past few years, with growing anger over the political system. Even during the small street demonstrations that are permitted to express solidarity with the Palestinians, for example, demonstrators quickly changed to shouting slogans against the long rule of Mubarak, who is 76.
Over the past few months a tiny opposition movement has held a number of street demonstrations against him, shouting "Enough!" - an unprecedented step here. At his annual meeting with intellectuals in January, virtually all of them spoke out about the need to amend the 1971 constitution, which includes socialistic rules that now seem somewhat quaint, like reserving half the seats in Parliament for farmers and workers.
Mubarak, who took office after President Anwar Sadat's assassination, has never faced an opponent during four referendums that allowed Egyptians to vote either yes or no on his continued rule. His announced tally has always been more than 90 percent. He was expected to stage a fifth such referendum in September. In his speech Saturday, the president said his proposal came from "my full conviction of the need to consolidate efforts for more freedom and democracy." The proposed change is expected to be put to a public referendum within nine weeks.
The old system had become something of an embarrassment. During speaking engagements around the country, Mubarak's son Gamal, 41, head of the ruling party's political committee, has faced pointed questions from students, such as whether he planned to run for president and, if he did, whether he would win elections with the same astonishing margins his father received.
There had been some speculation that the president might try to pave the way for a nationwide election that would see Gamal elected to succeed him, but the manner in which he proposed the changes on Saturday seemed to contradict that.
Rather than announcing that the changes emerged from the party's political committee, which Gamal Mubarak heads and which is ostensibly pushing for reform, the president chose the unusual step of announcing it in a dramatic speech from his hometown. That lent it the aura of a personal initiative rather than winning his son national points as a proponent for change.
The Bush administration has reacted cautiously to Mubarak's proposal, The New York Times reported.
"This appears to be a step in the direction of a more open political system, and we welcome it," Steven Pike, a State Department spokesman, said Saturday. At the same time, however, officials said they wanted more information from Cairo.
"We have to see the details of the referendum," a senior administration official said. "We are hopeful, but until we know exactly what the government is embracing, it is too early to declare that it is a major change."
Among the details that are as yet unclear, officials said, was how freely opposition candidates would be able to campaign, whether the state-controlled media would be permitted to cover all the candidates equally, whether the government would allow rallies in support of opposition candidates and whether international election monitors would be allowed. A State Department statement added: "We strongly advocate in all countries guarantees of civil and political rights, including freedom of speech, the press and the right of all citizens to participate fully in political life and to choose their own leaders."
On the face of it, a proposal from President Hosni Mubarak to amend the Egyptian Constitution to allow for direct, multiparty presidential elections represents a drastic change in a country with a 50-year history of autocratic governments. Some analysts and opposition politicians praised the proposal as heralding a new era for Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation. But skeptics said they would examine the details to make sure that the eventual constitutional amendment would not create merely the appearance of democracy, a common facade in the region.
Parliament here has a long history of diluting reforms, critics noted, and may yet announce rules on candidacy that would create the aura of democracy while blocking any real change. Also, Mubarak mentioned amending only the constitutional article on how the president is chosen, No. 76, not No. 77, which provides for unlimited terms.
Mubarak proposes a freer Egypt vote
By Neil MacFarquhar The New York Times
Monday, February 28, 2005
Skeptics want to know details of plan
CAIRO On the face of it, a proposal from President Hosni Mubarak to amend the Egyptian Constitution to allow for direct, multiparty presidential elections represents a drastic change in a country with a 50-year history of autocratic governments.
"The president will be elected through direct, secret balloting, opening the opportunity for political parties to run in the presidential elections and providing guarantees that allow more than one candidate for the people to chose from with their own will," Mubarak said, speaking live on television Saturday at the University of Menoufiya in the delta.
Some analysts and opposition politicians praised the proposal as heralding a new era for Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation. But skeptics said they would examine the details to make sure that the eventual constitutional amendment would not create merely the appearance of democracy, a common facade in the region.
Proponents said the measure was the first, central step in reviewing Egypt's entire constitution and answered both vocal domestic demands for increased democracy and stepped-up pressure from the United States.
The announcement by Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt unchallenged since 1981, follows elections in Iraq and among Palestinians and the first limited nationwide municipal polls in Saudi Arabia, leaving the region bubbling with expectations for political reform.
"This is a major decision. You are talking about the structure of the political system in Egypt," said Mohamed Kamal, a political science professor at Cairo University who serves on an advisory committee of Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party.
Other analysts, however, sounded notes of doubt, pointing out that Parliament, dominated by the National Democrats, planned to take about two weeks to work out the details of the amendment. Other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, like Tunisia, allow a few hand-picked opposition members to run, but the president gets virtually all the publicity and racks up an overwhelming majority in each election.
Parliament here has a long history of diluting reforms, critics noted, and may yet announce rules on candidacy that would create the aura of democracy while blocking any real change. Also, Mubarak mentioned amending only the constitutional article on how the president is chosen, No. 76, not No. 77, which provides for unlimited terms.
"This is a way to improve his image with the Americans and to please them with some formal changes," said Ibrahim Eissa, a columnist and political analyst. "While at the same time he is keeping everything else unchanged, like the emergency laws, imprisoning the opposition, the state controlling the media and political parties existing just on paper. This is deception."
Essam el-Eryan, a leader in the Muslim Brotherhood, a fundamentalist group that is banned as a party, noted that the revision might limit the choice of candidates by barring those not endorsed by a legal political party.
For instance, Ayman Nour was imprisoned on Jan. 29 on allegations of forging 2,000 signatures to gain a license last year for his party, Al Ghad. He denies the accusation.
Critics of the government noted that Nour's continued detention seemed to undermine the president's commitment to greater democracy.
"The only credible candidate against Mubarak is lying in prison on trumped-up charges," said Hisham Qassim, a newspaper editor and vice president of Al Ghad.
Supporters of the election measure called it an important step, believing it comes in response to marked internal changes in Egypt over the past few years, with growing anger over the political system. Even during the small street demonstrations that are permitted to express solidarity with the Palestinians, for example, demonstrators quickly changed to shouting slogans against the long rule of Mubarak, who is 76.
Over the past few months a tiny opposition movement has held a number of street demonstrations against him, shouting "Enough!" - an unprecedented step here. At his annual meeting with intellectuals in January, virtually all of them spoke out about the need to amend the 1971 constitution, which includes socialistic rules that now seem somewhat quaint, like reserving half the seats in Parliament for farmers and workers.
Mubarak, who took office after President Anwar Sadat's assassination, has never faced an opponent during four referendums that allowed Egyptians to vote either yes or no on his continued rule. His announced tally has always been more than 90 percent. He was expected to stage a fifth such referendum in September. In his speech Saturday, the president said his proposal came from "my full conviction of the need to consolidate efforts for more freedom and democracy." The proposed change is expected to be put to a public referendum within nine weeks.
The old system had become something of an embarrassment. During speaking engagements around the country, Mubarak's son Gamal, 41, head of the ruling party's political committee, has faced pointed questions from students, such as whether he planned to run for president and, if he did, whether he would win elections with the same astonishing margins his father received.
There had been some speculation that the president might try to pave the way for a nationwide election that would see Gamal elected to succeed him, but the manner in which he proposed the changes on Saturday seemed to contradict that.
Rather than announcing that the changes emerged from the party's political committee, which Gamal Mubarak heads and which is ostensibly pushing for reform, the president chose the unusual step of announcing it in a dramatic speech from his hometown. That lent it the aura of a personal initiative rather than winning his son national points as a proponent for change.
The Bush administration has reacted cautiously to Mubarak's proposal, The New York Times reported.
"This appears to be a step in the direction of a more open political system, and we welcome it," Steven Pike, a State Department spokesman, said Saturday. At the same time, however, officials said they wanted more information from Cairo.
"We have to see the details of the referendum," a senior administration official said. "We are hopeful, but until we know exactly what the government is embracing, it is too early to declare that it is a major change."
Among the details that are as yet unclear, officials said, was how freely opposition candidates would be able to campaign, whether the state-controlled media would be permitted to cover all the candidates equally, whether the government would allow rallies in support of opposition candidates and whether international election monitors would be allowed. A State Department statement added: "We strongly advocate in all countries guarantees of civil and political rights, including freedom of speech, the press and the right of all citizens to participate fully in political life and to choose their own leaders."
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