As more potential challengers to Mubarak in 2011 emerge, the man himself (he of the preternaturally black hair) has spoken out on his ‘commitment to the integrity of these elections’. The stage is set for a rerun of 2005, with a new contender playing the Ayman Nour role. Mubarak made some references to the current political climate, saying that he welcomes ‘the interplay in the society as long as it abides by laws and the constitution and is intended to realize the interest of Egypt’, and has also said recently that Egypt does not need ‘a new national hero,’ widely taken as a shot at El-Baradei. As long as the current electoral system remains in place, the 2011 contest will be as much of a sham as the last one. Respect is due to El-Baradei for ruling out running in elections that are not completely free and fair.
Good shout from the Arabist earlier:
And keep an eye on the 2nd May…
And check this out from 3arabawy (no time to write about it but it’s worth reading)…
