Egypt's Mubarak Orders Election Reform (Purple Ink Alert)

Washington Post ^ | 2/26/05 | AP - Maamoun Youssef

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CAIRO, Egypt - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday ordered a revision of the country's election laws and said multiple candidates could run in the nation's presidential elections, a scenario Mubarak hasn't faced since taking power in 1981.

The surprise announcement, a response to critics' calls for political reform, comes shortly after historic elections in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, balloting that brought a taste of democracy to the region. It also comes amid a sharp dispute with the United States over Egypt's arrest of one of the strongest proponents of multi-candidate elections.

"The election of a president will be through direct, secret balloting, giving the chance for political parties to run for the presidential elections and providing guarantees that allow more than one candidate for the people to choose among them with their own will," Mubarak said in an address broadcast live on Egyptian television.

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Freedom on the march...

[Tacis]

Teah, I hope so! But, these are Muslims, after all. What will you bet that the only candidate certified to run against Mubarak is Mubarak's son?

[SauronOfMordor]

He probably is counting on the fragmentation of the opposition, and winning on a plurality. What's really needed is the provision for a runoff between the two leading candidates if the leading candidate gets less than 50%

[kittymyrib]

I hope it works as well for Mubarak as it did for little Danny Ortega in Nicaragua.

[Darkwolf377]

Doesn't even much matter if this particular attempt fails, democratisation is spreading. No, it won't be a US form of it, but damn, it's better than what they've got now, and even incremental reform will train Middle Eastern peoples that they CAN force change.

Oh, and of course our invasion of Iraq had NOTHING to do with it. Uh huh. And Bush is an ignorant cowboy, etc. etc. Yes, the UN caused all this to happen. Uh huh.

[Political Junkie Too]

Of course, we don't want to "overhype" this news.

-PJ

[knighthawk]

Bump

[Reagan79]

I use to live in Egypt and as you all know, Egypt is not a democracy. When I lived there Mubarek ran against an editor of a major paper in Cairo. It was funny though that the paper endorsed Mubarek over their own editor.

Egypt needs democratic rule.

[traderrob6]

Just the beginning! more here

[pissant]

the Bush Effect

[zeugma]

Wow! This is big news. The real question is, will the MSM tie this news and Iraq together? I doubt it.