In altering the rules governing presidential elections President Mubarak has redrawn the nation's political life, writes Hassan Abu Taleb* The peaceful coup President Mubarak has staged will change the face of Egyptian politics for years to come. The nation, thanks to a constitutional amendment the president has demanded, will be able to choose its leader in free elections involving more than one candidate. Less than a week ago everyone thought such an amendment would have to wait until after the presidential referendum in September. The decision was made out of regard for purely domestic issues, no matter what claims are being made. Political reform is the key to reform in various other fields, economic, social and cultural. The political system furnishes the backdrop against which other sectors experience change. Election methods and political party life change only as a result of cumulative domestic action, of the struggle and sacrifices the public makes in its quest for democracy and freedom. Over the past few decades the Egyptian national movement has engaged in a quest for reform and it did so for the sake of the nation, not to please foreign powers. Many on the international scene have dropped hints. Many, including the Americans, asked the Arabs to liberalise their societies and democratise their political scene. The demands were often crude, tinged with propaganda and driven by ulterior motives. But foreign demands were a shadow of the reality unfolding on the domestic scene. Those who worked hard for reform were local people, not White House officials, not congressmen, and not US and European political writers. The latter often exaggerated and twisted the facts. When it was time for things to change the decision came from the country's legitimate leaders, not those who speak from afar. The call to amend the constitution has been voiced many times over the past few years. Political writers and activists in this country have urged a change in the rules governing the election of the president as well as in presidential powers and the duration of the president's term. This happened even before the so- called Greater Middle East initiative was announced. Egyptians demonstrated, staged sit-ins, chanted slogans and submitted written petitions delineating the nature of the changes they wished to see made. The only surprising thing was that the amendment was introduced by the president himself. And it was a peaceful coup. While answering Egyptian demands, the amendment showed that the president is keenly aware of the external political and propaganda campaigns targeting this country. The timing was unexpected. As of next September Egyptians will go to the polls to select their president from among several candidates. The move took all, including the National Democratic Party (NDP), by surprise. The NDP, a party that has always enjoyed a parliamentary majority, is used to automatic, autocratic control. It will be interesting to see how the NDP changes its ways to adapt to the new situation. Will it abandon its mindset of domination and embrace pluralism? The opposition parties, for their part, are now faced with a challenge they are unlikely to meet. Having thought of pluralism as a theoretical possibility they must now find candidates who can take on the president in free elections. Singularly or collectively, the opposition parties will have to come up with one or more candidates who can offer a serious challenge to the president. The opposition candidates must be able to measure up to an incumbent president with long experience and impressive achievements -- not an easy task. The best presidential hopefuls can offer at present is a theoretical vision of the future, an outlook unsubstantiated by experience. With more than one candidate running for president the public scene will undergo a complete makeover. A political culture will have to be developed, and almost from scratch. Party politics will have to acquire a new sense of responsibility and maturity -- no easy task. Our political parties have been weakened, partly because of the restrictions on assembly and speech. This will have to change, for if the current restrictions remain the fruits of reform will be incomplete. Just as the nation is now free to choose its president, it must be able to communicate, organise, and congregate freely. The manner of electing the president has changed. This is a major step forward in Egyptian political life, but it remains one step. The overall system accords the president extensive powers and a unique status. Under the current system, even if opposition parties were to win a considerable proportion of the vote, the president will still call all the shots. There is much this country still needs to do in order to approach true democracy and the widest-possible political participation. * The writer is an expert at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies and chief editor of the Arab Strategic Report.
