CAIRO: Five ministers are expected to run in the People's Assembly elections due to be held in November, the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported Sunday. This will be their first time as parliamentary candidates. Minister of Finance Youssef Botrous-Ghali, Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Moselhi and Minister of Military Production Sayed Mesh'al are current MPs who will likely seek to maintain their seats in Egypt's Lower House of Parliament, the report added. All candidates are members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). However, the NDP neither confirmed nor denied the ministers' nominations. NDP majority leader at the PA Abdel-Ahad Gamal Eddin told Daily News Egypt that the decision to run is up to the ministers themselves. “There is no specific system [at the NDP] that allows or prevents the nomination of ministers. A minister is like any other citizen who can run for elections,” he added. Gamal Eddin previously told Daily News Egypt that the NDP will likely compete for parliamentary seats in all constituencies nationwide. The NDP will hold its annual conference from November 9-10. The NDP's Secretary General Safwat El-Sherif said in press statements following a meeting with President Hosni Mubarak earlier last week that the party will release its electoral program early enough to prepare for the PA polls. El-Sherif, also the Shoura Council (Upper House of the Parliament) speaker, further noted that the NDP's annual conference this year will focus on presenting the electoral program for the PA elections in addition to discussing issues of concern to public opinion. The party currently occupies 333 of the PA's 454 seats.
