CAIRO: The National Democratic Party (NDP) is likely to conduct some leadership shuffles after the party's annual conference in September, MP Mohamed Khalil Kwaitah representing the NDP told The Daily Star Egypt. He said that he was not aware of any changes that might take place sooner, adding that media headlines about the party's plans to nominate President Hosni Mubarak, the current party chief, for another term, is "no news at all. Ahmed Ezz, a prominent businessman who heads the NDP's logistics committee said yesterday on terrestrial Channel One's Itkalim talk show that changes in NDP leadership could take place. However, Ezz did not indicate the numbers, names of members or areas where changes are to take place, refuting media reports that the party is planning to change about 151,000 members. But the NDP's official website had not publicized news of a possible change. Ambassador Mahmoud Shokry, writer and political analyst, told The Daily Star Egypt that if the NDP is planning "a real change that aims to strengthen its position then it will be for the benefit of the party and the political life. "The NDP is the only party that has presence in Egypt's political life, so it naturally wants to increase its popularity, Shokry said. The ruling NDP was founded in 1978 by late President Anwar Sadat who was the party's first president, followed by President Hosni Mubarak in 1981, when Sadat was assassinated.
