The winds of change are blowing harder than ever in the ruling party, reports Dina Ezzat President Hosni Mubarak, in his capacity as president of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), approved a shake-up in the party's leadership on Wednesday that may give reformers the upper hand. He also told NDP aides that they must improve their performance following the party's lacklustre showing in the parliamentary elections. In a move welcomed by many, Mubarak agreed to the removal of Kamal El-Shazli, a veteran party leader who was sacked from the government in the last cabinet reshuffle. El-Shazli -- who was assistant secretary-general -- has been blamed for the NDP's inability to connect with the public during the parliamentary election campaign and is seen as an obstacle to the reform movement within the party that is spearheaded by Gamal Mubarak, the president's younger son. In an unprecedented move Mubarak also assigned three assistant secretary-generals to work closely with Safwat El-Sherif, the NDP's secretary-general and one of the few faces left from the party's old guard. Gamal Mubarak, who for the last three years has been head of the NDP's influential policies secretariat, has been appointed one of the three assistant secretary-generals in what is being viewed as a clear triumph for the party's younger generation. He is joined by Zakaria Azmi, chief of staff at the presidency, and Mofid Shehab, minister of state for legal affairs. Both are linked to the reform camp. The majority of chairmen of the NDP's central secretariats -- mostly members of the old guard -- are also to be replaced by younger faces more supportive of Gamal Mubarak's plans to revive the NDP and turn it into a modern party capable of attracting the support and winning the confidence of Egyptian voters. Leading reformist figures, including Alieddin Hilal and Mohamed Kamal, have been promoted within the NDP's secretariats and its politburo. In statements to the press following his meeting with President Mubarak and the rest of the secretariat El-Sherif said that the changes introduced this week are part of the ongoing reform process initiated in 2002. He said that more changes can be expected in the next few months. According to El-Sherif, Mubarak asked the new secretariat to closely monitor the performance of the party's leading figures in anticipation of further reforms that will cover the party's branches in all governorates. In a matter of weeks, he said, changes will be announced that put the emphasis squarely on the young and women.
