Egypt's Mubarak likely to run in 2011, leaked US cable says

Fri, 10 Dec 2010

Cairo - Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak is likely to run in next year's presidential elections and will "inevitably win," the US Ambassador in Cairo Margaret Scobey wrote in a newly leaked cable.

"Despite incessant whispered discussions, no one in Egypt has any certainty about who will eventually succeed Mubarak, nor under what circumstances," Scobey wrote in the May 2009 cable to Washington, which was leaked to newspapers by WikiLeaks.

The 82-year-old Mubarak, who has ruled for nearly 30 years, has not formally announced his plans for next year's elections or named a vice-president or successor. However, Mubarak has previously vowed to continue serving as Egypt's leader until his "last breath."

Mubarak is "in reasonably good health; his most notable problem is a hearing deficit in his left ear," wrote Scobey.

However, Mubarak's health has been subject to speculation since he went to Germany for an operation earlier this year, reviving debates over the country's future after his reign ends.

Mubarak's son Gamal, who is a top official in the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), is rumored to be a possible candidate for the post.

"The most likely contender is presidential son Gamal ... Mubarak's ideal of a strong but fair leader would seem to discount Gamal Mubarak to some degree, given Gamal's lack of military experience, and may explain Mubarak's hands-off approach to the succession question," said the cable.

The release of the dispatch comes shortly after opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei, urged people and opposition to boycott the 2011 presidential vote.

Mubarak's ruling NDP swept the recent elections for the lower house with over 80 per cent of the vote, leaving opposition groups few seats in the 518 member People's Assembly.

Parliamentary elections were seen as an indicator ahead of the presidential vote. Monitors and opposition groups said the election was marred with fraud that favored the ruling party.

ElBaradei, who urged a boycott of the recent parliamentary elections, has voiced his concerns over vote rigging next year.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357573,leaked-us-cable-says.html.