The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) will announce its nominee for next year's presidential elections in July of 2011--only two months before the vote--according to Minister for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mufid Shehab. In statements to a Russian television channel, Shehab said the NDP was currently focusing on upcoming legislative elections slated for November. In recent months, calls have mounted for the announcement of the ruling party's presidential candidate amid speculation that President Hosni Mubarak was grooming his 46-year-old son Gamal to succeed him. Rumors about the 82-year-old president's deteriorating health, meanwhile, have gained momentum ever since he underwent gallbladder surgery in Germany last March. In July of 2005--only two months prior to the last presidential contest--Mubarak announced his decision to stand in the elections, in which he received an overwhelming 89 percent of the vote amid reports of electoral irregularities. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
