NDP leaders say press reports that the party intends to nominate Gamal Mubarak as its candidate in the 2011 presidential elections in a matter of weeks are complete fabrications, reports Gamal Essam El-Din Senior officials from the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) launched a campaign to dismiss press reports that Gamal, the 46-year-old son of President Hosni Mubarak, had emerged as the party's favourite candidate for the 2011 presidential elections. The 18 June issue of the independent daily Al-Shorouk reported that the party's Political Bureau would meet in the next few weeks to name its candidate for the 2011 election. The story asserted that the vast majority of Political Bureau members, as well as the rank and file of the party, supported Gamal Mubarak's nomination. Al-Shorouk even hinted that President Mubarak might resign before 2011, allowing his son to take over the post. As the newspaper hit the streets late on 17 June party officials began what increasingly looked like a concerted campaign to deny the story. First to hit the airwaves was NDP Secretary-General Safwat El-Sherif. In a telephone interview with the Arab satellite network of Orbit on midnight of 17 June, El-Sherif accused Al-Shorouk of fabricating the story to increase its circulation. "Imagine how many NDP members and ordinary citizens would buy the newspaper when they heard about the fabricated nomination story," said El-Sherif. "I was keen to dismiss the rumours as early as possible in order that they not climb the agenda of satellite channels' talk show programmes." "It is totally illogical for any party to meet two years ahead of the elections and name its presidential candidate," said El-Sherif. "I wonder how it is that some people are so keen to name a candidate while President Hosni Mubarak is still alive, enjoys good health and unprecedented levels of popularity." El-Sherif went on to explain that the party's internal regulations require the Political Bureau and General Secretariat to meet during the party's annual conference which takes place in November every year in order to form the NDP's Higher Council. "This 45-member council was created in compliance with amendments to Article 76 of the constitution and whoever does emerge as the party's candidate will do so from the council's ranks." The name would then, El-Sherif said, be placed before the party's 7,500 member general convention in a secret ballot. "We will nominate our candidate when other parties and independent groups nominate theirs," said El-Sherif. "Under the rules this is most likely to happen three months ahead of the presidential elections, that is, in June 2011." He pointed out that it was in June 2005 that the party chose President Mubarak to lead it into Egypt's first contested presidential election. "Then the party's general convention met and more than 6,000 members voted in favour of naming Mubarak as their candidate." El-Sherif was soon joined by Zakaria Azmi, chief of the presidential staff and a member of the NDP's Higher Council. Azmi told the weekly independent Al-Fagr that there were no plans for the NDP's Political Bureau to meet in the next few weeks. "Let me assure you, in my capacity as NDP assistant secretary-general for organisational affairs, that the Political Bureau will not be meeting any time soon to name its presidential candidate," said Azmi. Moufid Shehab, NDP assistant secretary- general and minister of state for legal and parliamentary affairs, accused private newspapers of repeatedly making up stories about the party. "Not too long ago it was being alleged that I had said all options were open and the People's Assembly would be dissolved within three months," Shehab told Al-Ahram Weekly. "It's deplorable that some private newspapers think that the way for making a scoop comes through publishing lies and fabricating stories," he said. Al-Shorouk 's story, however, has served to re- ignite speculation over the political ambitions of Gamal Mubarak. Most opposition forces believe President Mubarak is grooming his younger son to succeed him, as did Hafez Al-Assad in Syria. President Mubarak, who has ruled since October 1981, has never appointed a vice-president. Early in 2005, Mubarak amended Article 76 of the constitution and scrapped the yes/no public referendums by which the president had been endorsed in favour of multi-candidate elections. During its 2007 general convention, the ruling NDP formed a 45-member Higher Council, from which any presidential candidate will emerge. Gamal Mubarak, a former investment banker, is a member of the council, as well as chair of the party's influential Policies Committee since 2002. Opposition forces complain that Gamal Mubarak's role in political life is now so pervasive that he is unstoppable as his father's successor. They reject what they claim will be a hereditary scenario in which he inherits power from his father in a charade dressed up as a democratic vote. President Mubarak and his son have both denied any such plans. Addressing graduates of his NGO Future Generation Foundation on Sunday, Gamal Mubarak said he opposed secular political parties being allowed to operate on university campuses. "Some argue that this will provide a counterbalance to religious currents, but political and partisan rivalries could easily hit the teaching boards of universities and badly impact on the process of education."
