The National Democratic Party (NDP) will not discuss presidential elections until after the conclusion of the Shura Council and People's Assembly elections, in June and November respectively, said Safwat el-Sherif, secretary general of the NDP. In an interview with Al-Horra satellite channel, el-Sherif said he didn't want to become involved in the current controversy over the nomination of Gamal Mubarak, assistant secretary general and policies secretary of the NDP. El-Sherif added that presidential elections cannot be discussed until after the Shura Council elections and its new formation, which will be announced in June. After that, he said, there will be the People's Assembly elections--starting in September and ending before the new parliamentary session in November--which will determine which party will take the majority of seats in the assembly. Until then, therefore, there should be no discussion of presidential elections or nominations, el-Sharif concluded. As to the US State Department's criticism of how Egypt's security forces dealt with recent protests, el-Sherif said this was an interference in Egypt's internal affairs--but nevertheless should not strain long-term relations between the two states. During the interview, el-Sherif highlighted the importance of the role played by the Shura Council. He said Egypt has institutions that perform according to the principles of freedom and democracy, and constitutional and political reform have empowered the parliament with the result that it now has a more influential role and is no longer restricted to giving advisory opinions, el-Sherif added. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
