Egyptians prepare for a Presidential election as Mubarak's end nears

By ICEJ News

29 Jul 2010

As the health of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak continues to deteriorate, speculation about who will succeed him is being fueled by campaign posters featuring his son which have begun to appear on the sides of buildings and on billboards across the capital city of Cairo. 47-year-old Gamal Mubarak has not officially announced his candidacy for president in the 2011 elections. "This may be a test balloon or just an attempt at flattery by opportunists," Wael Abbas, a Cairo-based blogger told The Media Line. "There are many people who stand to gain from Mubarak's ascendancy: businessmen, politicians, clerks. It could also be an attempt by the Egyptian Intelligence to 'feel the pulse' of public opinion." Other analysts pointed out that the posters might be a natural reaction to the candidacy of former International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohammed Al-Barade’i, whose platform of political reforms and constitutional amendments is viewed with great fear by conservatives and bureaucrats in the Mubarak government who are afraid of losing their positions. Al-Barade’i is believed to be very popular among ordinary Egyptians who see him as a breath of fresh air after decades of autocracy and corruption.

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