Gamal Essam El-Din previews the NDP's sixth annual conference, scheduled to begin on 31 October Preparations for the sixth annual conference of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) have shifted into high gear. The party's secretariat-general, led by Chairman of the Shura Council Safwat El-Sherif, and its Policies Committee, headed by Gamal Mubarak, will meet on 15 and 19 October respectively to agree the final agenda of the conference, scheduled between 31 October and 3 November. President Hosni Mubarak, in his capacity as NDP chairman, is expected to deliver the keynote speech on the first day of the conference. According to El-Sherif, NDP officials will meet with President Mubarak following his return from Europe in a few days to discuss the final conference agenda. "The conference will issue a strong message, reassuring the poorest members of society that the party remains committed to their welfare," he said. Gamal Mubarak, the 46-year-old son of President Mubarak and chairman of the NDP's powerful Policies Committee, heaped praise on NDP- inspired economic and financial reform policies ahead of the conference. "These policies greatly helped in weathering the storm of the global financial downturn, keeping the economy on the right track," he said. "As a consequence economic policies, including those aimed at fighting poverty, alleviating the suffering of citizens in Egypt's poorest villages and improving the performance of public services, are expected to dominate the agenda of the NDP's sixth annual conference." Mubarak indicated that the NDP's Higher Council for Policies would take charge of preparing the political and economic agenda of the conference during a meeting scheduled for Saturday. NDP officials and independent analysts concur that the conference is unlikely to see any radical initiatives unveiled. NDP Secretary-General Safwat El-Sherif ruled out any possibility the conference would discuss the party's candidate for the September 2011 presidential elections. "It is not the job of the annual conferences to discuss the issue," said El-Sherif. "NDP internal statutes stipulate that a special conference of 5,500 of the party's members meet some time ahead of the election date to select the NDP's candidate through a secret ballot." Asked why President Hosni Mubarak has refrained from appointing a vice-president, El-Sherif told reporters that Article 82 of the constitution, as amended in 2007, made it clear that should the president of the republic be incapacitated for any reason his powers pass to the prime minister in the absence of a vice- president. El-Sherif insisted that the party's annual conference would signal the beginning of a new political season in Egypt. "The conference usually comes just a few days ahead of the opening of the parliamentary session of both the People's Assembly and Shura Council. This year, though, the conference also precedes June's mid- term elections of the Shura Council and the People's Assembly's elections scheduled for November 2010." "The conference will make it clear to all political forces that the ruling NDP is determined parliamentary elections be marked by integrity. We will issue a strong message that the NDP is against corruption and that it does not accept corrupt people within its ranks." El-Sherif drew attention to recent dismissals from the party of members found guilty of criminal activities. Two NDP MPs, Yehia Wahdan from Cairo and Mohamed Mandour from the Upper Egyptian governorate of Qena, are expected to lose their parliamentary immunity after being implicated in corruption cases. Mohamed Kamal, a leading member of the Policies Committee, has ruled out any change in the electoral system being discussed by the conference. "President Mubarak has made it clear that the individual candidacy system will remain in place for the 2010 parliamentary elections," he said. Nor will there be any discussion of scrapping the 50 per cent of parliamentary seats reserved for workers' and farmers' representatives. That, says Kamal, would require constitutional changes and "it is not on the agenda of the conference to change the constitution any time soon". The conference will, however, discuss a new law allocating 46 seats for women in the People's Assembly. "We know that the first application of this law, which was passed by the assembly last June, will be during parliamentary elections due to be held in October 2010," said Kamal. The conference will also review progress in implementing President Mubarak's 2005 presidential election programme, according to Kamal. During his visit to the US in August President Mubarak said his main concern during the two years preceding the 2011 presidential elections was to ensure the complete implementation of his 2005 programme. The conference is also expected to discuss the results of the party's internal elections held in August in detail. Zakaria Azmi, NDP assistant secretary-general for administrative and financial affairs and chief of the presidential staff, announced that the party would be taking all necessary measures to safeguard conference participants against swine flu. "We will make sure that the conference halls are not overcrowded and are regularly disinfected," he said.
