By Sara Elghobashy
July 17, 2009
Recent events have caused the Arab media to speculate whether Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, will be retiring in the near future. The 81-year-old president has held office for the past 28 years and will be up for reelection in 2011, serving another 6 years if he gets reelected. The New York Times cites signs of weakening health, a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and recent reports in the Egyptian press about plans to dissolve Parliament as indicators that the President may be gearing up to step down.
“The laws of life have brought the moment that can no longer be delayed, forcing us to discuss the issue of the alternative,” wrote Hossam Abdel Baseer in Al Wafd, an Egyptian opposition paper. Reports have risen after President Obama’s recent visit to Egypt, depicting President Mubarak as weak and frail in comparison to the US president. However, some say the President’s health is not in decline. Rather, he was showing signs of sorrow following the death of his 12-year-old grandson, who died only days before Obama arrived.
The crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood is another cause for concern. People fear that the President may be working to squash any opposition to his choice for successor, who many believe is his son, Gamal. Over 130 members of the Brotherhood have been arrested for belonging to an outlawed organization, and thirty charged with money laundering. Members of the Brotherhood currently hold 88 of the 454 seats in Parliament and have been tolerated in the past, though they are legally banned.
In addition, rumors are circulating that members of the President’s National Democratic Party want to absolve Parliament prior to the election, causing suspicion that, again, they may be ensuring there is no opposition to the succession of Gamal Mubarak. (How very ‘democratic’ of them).
Osama el-Ghazali Harb, a member of an opposition party, said “This moment is not a regular moment for people; everyone is looking out for what will happen after Mubarak,” adding, “The thing is, no one knows what will happen.”
Opposition groups have already begun online campaigns against President Mubarak, who wins with a landslide every election, usually in the 90th percentile. Elections have, therefore, become more of a formality rather than an exercise of freedom. But will that change once President Mubarak is no longer in office?
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