CAIRO: The coordinator of a signature campaign supporting Gamal Mubarak, son of President Mubarak, as the next president of Egypt says that over 20,000 people have signed in support since it began on Aug. 1, 2010. Lawyer Marwa Hodhod, coordinator of the Sowtak Amana campaign (www.sottak.org) told Daily News Egypt that 26,000 people have signed the campaign's online petition, which reads, “I support Mr. Gamal Mubarak as president of Egypt in 2011 … because of the splendid work he has done in service of the country and the advancement of Egyptian society through his position in the National Democratic Party's policies committee. [And also] because he is a young man who has new ideas for the prosperity and security of Egypt”. Hodhod explained that the online petition is the first phase of the campaign and involves coordination with 29 governorates. The second stage of the campaign will involve going out and collecting signatures in the streets, Hodhod said. “The idea for the campaign started amongst a group of young people who do not belong to any political party. We support Gamal Mubarak because of the efforts he has expended in service of our society,” Hodhod said. “Our aim is to collect 5 million signatures in support of Gamal Mubarak becoming president of Egypt in case he decides not to put himself forward for nomination.” Hodhod says that the campaign relies on volunteer efforts and donations from “young Egyptians and Egyptian families such as Dr. Khaled Omar El-Naggar, financial consultant to the International Ziad Group in Saudi Arabia who has paid for 1,000 statements to be printed, and Ahmed Abdel-Meneim El-Masry from the Suez Petrol Group who printed 5,000 statements for us at his own expense.” The campaign is not officially backed by the NDP, Hodhod says, because “we don't need anyone's support. There are public figures whose names I can't mention who have requested to join the campaign and take part in it, but we still haven't decided. “We are politically independent and do not need the support of any political party. We support Gamal Mubarak because we regard him as the most suitable candidate,” Hodhod explained, dismissing suggestions that the young Mubarak's assumption of power directly after his father is a form of inherited rule as a “fallacy”. “Elections are run according to a constitutional right granted to whoever fulfils the conditions for nomination to the presidency. We witnessed the same example in the US with Bush Senior and Junior,” Hodhod said. Sowtak Amana joins a number of campaigns initiated ahead of the 2011 presidential elections. Last March, the National Association for Change launched its own petition which, it says, has attracted some 600,000 signatures. Unlike the NAC's online petition which prevents incorrect information being entered, Sowtak Amana's petition website allows individuals to enter any data in the fields requiring the signatory's name and personal ID card number. When Daily News Egypt asked Hodhod about this she responded that signatures are sorted through and checked periodically for accuracy. The opposition Al-Ghad Party's founder Ayman Nour recently launched the “Egypt is Too Big for You” campaign rejecting Gamal Mubarak and the ongoing speculation that he will run for the presidency. In response, NDP supporters began an “Egypt is Beyond You” campaign. “The first and the last word will be for the Egyptian street. The Egyptian people will decide whether Gamal Mubarak or Ayman Nour succeeds,” Hodhod commented on the campaigns.
