Gamal Mubarak, General Secretary of the Policy Committee of the National Democratic Party (NDP), met with a number of NDP committees on Tuesday to discuss the party's preparations for the upcoming People's Assembly elections scheduled in October 2010. Mubarak discussed the NDP's revival of Egypt's nuclear program with Minister of Energy and Electricity Hassan Younis and Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmi at a meeting with the Energy Committee. Mubarak spoke about the necessity of transforming plans for a nuclear program into a concrete reality in the near future, including activating Egypt's first nuclear power plant by the beginning of 2019. The General Secretary said the nuclear program will provide new job opportunities for Egyptians, indicating that the program was a priority for the NDP in its quest to develop clean energy sources for the country. Mubarak said the NDP's platform, which the party will highlight during the upcoming parliamentary election campaign, aims to provide government support to those who most deserve it, adding that many families would be able to escape poverty in the near future. Regarding the 1000 Villages project, a program initiated by Gamal Mubarak to develop Egypt's poorest 1000 villages, the general secretary said the government is still in the process of implementing program. He added that development projects were begun in 151 villages during the first-stage of the program, which is expected to be completed within five years. The meetings touched on a number of legislative issues that came up during the last parliamentary session. They also focused on the NDP's new policy of allotting 64 seats in the Shura Council for women in an effort to support the participation of women in Egyptian politics. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
