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Official says President Mubarak to seek new term

21 October 2010 20:24 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A top Egyptian ruling party official said 82-year-old President Hosni Mubarak will seek a new term in next year’s elections despite widespread speculation that he might step down and allow his son to run in his place, APA reports quoting news.yahoo.com website.
The official, Alieddin Hilal, was the latest of several senior figures from the National Democratic Party to suggest Mubarak intended to stay in the office he has held for nearly 30 years. However, the statements by party officials are not the final word with Mubarak himself maintaining a public silence on his intentions.
"The next president is President Hosni Mubarak," Hilal told U.S.-funded Alhurra television in an interview, according to excerpts released on Thursday. "The candidate of the party come next August or September will be President Hosni Mubarak," added Hilal, who often acts as the ruling party’s spokesman.
Speculation over Mubarak’s future has intensified since he underwent surgery earlier this year in Germany to remove his gall bladder and a benign growth in the lining of his small intestine.
He has, however, sought to dispel that speculation with busy work schedules that state media have covered in detail. He recently suggested he would stay in office as long as he is alive.
Mubarak is widely thought to be grooming his 46-year-old son Gamal to eventually succeed him. He has also stayed silent on the future of Gamal, who over the past decade has risen through the ranks of the ruling party to become one of its leaders.
Mubarak never appointed a vice president, further complicating the question of who will succeed him. He was Anwar Sadat’s vice president when the late president was gunned down by Muslim militants during a military parade in Cairo in 1981. He then became president and has held the office ever since.
Mubarak had ruled Egypt unchallenged until 2005 when multiple candidates were allowed to run for president. However, requirements severely limit who can run in next year’s vote, making a landslide win for the ruling party candidate a virtually foregone conclusion.
Egypt is a close, strategic U.S. ally. It is beset by a host of seemingly intractable problems from substantial poverty, high unemployment and a rapidly growing population to vast social disparities. Those deep social problems make a smooth and peaceful transfer of power if Mubarak steps down or passes away all the more crucial.
Hilal appeared to have no concerns about the transfer of power.
"Any transfer of power will be peaceful and according to the constitution and within the framework of political and constitutional institutions," he told Alhurra.