The amendment of Article 76 of the constitution is part of an ongoing process of transforming Egypt's political landscape, asserted Gamal Mubarak as he outlined the NDP's reform vision. Gamal Essam El-Din reports Less than a week after Egyptians voted in favour of a constitutional amendment allowing for multi-candidate presidential elections Gamal Mubarak, the 42-year-old son of President Hosni Mubarak and head of the National Democratic Party's influential Policy Secretariat, was invited by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Egypt to outline the ruling party's programme for the coming period. Sunday's meeting was attended by more than 1,000 AmCham members as well as the prime minister, the majority of cabinet members, the governor of Cairo and a host of foreign ambassadors. Mubarak began with the question on everyone's lips -- will President Mubarak nominate himself for a fifth six-year term? The answer, said the president's son, will come after the passing of a new law regulating presidential elections following which President Mubarak will address the nation on the question of his re- election. He continued by arguing that the NDP is committed to a future involving reform and change. "The party's vision," he said, "is neither motivated by populist policies, nor crafted in isolation behind closed doors." "Over three decades Egypt has successfully laid the foundations of a democratic society." The challenge now, he stated, is to build on these foundations. "The NDP intends to reinforce the rule of law, revive competitive party politics and foster civil liberties and human rights as enshrined in free press that accommodates the views of all political forces." Mubarak defended the constitutional amendment approved by the public in the 25 May referendum, dismissing opposition charges that it makes it impossible for independent and opposition party candidates to run. "The amendment was in no way intended as an obstacle to political parties; rather, it provides an incentive for them to compete in elections," Mubarak said. The next five years, he said, will see elections to the Shura Council, the People's Assembly and to local councils. "During this period parties should act as incubators for serious presidential candidates." The amendment of Article 76 should not be viewed in isolation but as part of an ongoing programme of reform. The result of these reforms, he said, will allow for the emergence of competitive party politics and free and fair elections. To that end, revealed Mubarak, a new presidential election law is being drafted that will guarantee equal access to the media and provide for judicial supervision of the ballot. The new law is scheduled to be discussed by the Shura Council and the People's Assembly's Legislative and Constitutional Committee next week. The parliamentary election law will also be amended to ensure transparency. The amendment to Article 76 should, said Mubarak, be viewed as "part of a continuous process that will change the political landscape". But reforms will not bear fruit, he warned, without improvements in local government. "The demands of society cannot be met in the absence of an efficient system of local government," he told the audience, which is why the NDP is working towards decentralising local administration. The local administration law will be amended to provide local councils with greater supervisory powers. Reform of the political system, said Mubarak, goes hand in hand with economic reform. "A reformed political system," he argued, "is the only way to achieve sustainable development, create employment opportunities and raise incomes." He commended Ahmed Nazif's government for engineering major economic reforms, praising tax and custom reforms and the speeded up privatisation programme, which has generated LE3.3 billion in sales in the last six months. During the same period, he said, stock market capitalisation had increased from 42 per cent to 55 per cent of GDP and the pound had finally been stabilised against the dollar, while central bank reserves climbed from $14 billion to $18 billion. The government was well on the way, he said, to meeting its target of 4.9 per cent growth by the end of the year. The NDP, he said, was examining ways to decentralise the banking sector and open the door to the private sector in a host of areas including gas, banking, telecommunications and public services. "We also," said Mubarak, "are looking towards concluding a free trade agreement with the United States, implementing WTO commitments, achieving the greater Arab free trade zone and fostering trade links with Africa." The party is also seeking to reform education and health care provision. Responding to a question over recent tensions in relations between Egypt and the United States, Mubarak said America was fully aware of Egypt's key role in Middle East politics. "Relations between the two countries are sufficiently mature to allow differences to be resolved through dialogue and I would say to those sceptics who try to paint a negative picture of relations between the two countries that the coming period will prove them wrong," he said.
