The Egyptian Trade Unions Federation (ETUF) is considering calling off its next election because the poll is slated to coincide with the 2011 presidential elections, sources said. The potential move aims to give labor leadership time to develop strategies to support incumbent president Hosni Mubarak, should he run for a sixth term, according to the sources. ETUF's president Hussein Megawer and Minister of Manpower and Immigration Aisha Abdel Hady, agreed postponement is the best solution because of the inherent difficulty in holding elections on their already-declared date between September and November of 2011. Head of the Syndicate of Commercial Professions Mohamed Wahballah said trade unions have not yet been informed of the postponement decision. He also stressed the difficulty of holding elections on time, and said he preferred the poll was conducted every six years instead of five, in order for union members to consolidate effort to support president Mubarak as “payback for his favors”. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
