I was in Egypt in the early summer, and met with Lt. Gen Omar Suleiman in his office. Then two days later, I met with brother Jamal Mubarak at the Air Force Club, and asked them both the same question about the upcoming presidential elections, to which they both gave the same answer: President Mubarak is the candidate of the National Democratic Party (NDP). This was also my opinion before I asked. I wish the President good health and happiness, but we all know that he underwent surgery in Germany last March, preceded by another procedure a couple of years ago. Two days ago, I asked Dr. Mustafa El Feki, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Egyptian parliament, about the situation. He assured me that the president is in good health, and is clearly active, having visited France, the United States and Italy, and spoken directly on air in Egypt and inaugurated local events. El Feki also said that the president is the party's candidate next year. In the end, the president alone will decide whether he will retire after 30 years or seek a sixth term. Egypt is not devoid of great men and women who each can lead the country and who each has the right to do so. I told Lt. Gen. Omar Suleiman that I heard he was a candidate, to whom he responded smilingly: no, it is just that there are people who want me to clash with the president. Recently, I noticed posters that support the nomination of the Lt. Gen being placed then quickly removed, and I believe it likely that it is the same “people” behind this. I also noticed that the posters that support the nomination of Jamal Mubarak are not being removed unlike those of the Lt. General. However, I do not know who is behind these or those, and so I shall wait until the parliamentary elections in two months, which will be an indicator of the balance of power on the Egyptian political scene. If it were up to me, I would have allowed all people to run in the elections, because in the end, only good will triumph, and the Egyptians are a conscientious people and will not elect just anyone to be president. I have many candidates for the post of Egyptian president, if President Mubarak decides to retire, and Jamal Mubarak is definitely included with them, despite the problem of the hereditary transition of power in a Republic. Jamal Mubarak is not my cousin and I am not bound to him by any personal interest. What is common between us and every Egyptian is our love for Egypt. There is no question that Jamal is in his post today in the party and the state because he is who he is. However, his specialty is economic, and Egypt's need for a modern successful economy is second only to its need for the threatened waters of the Nile. It was the president's son who was behind the appointment of the current business-oriented government headed by Ahmed Nazif in 2004, with the result being an economy that is growing by seven percent annually, as I mentioned yesterday, and I add that this economy was little affected by the global financial crisis. What I want to say is that Jamal Mubarak must not be prevented from running in the elections just because he is the president's son, and I call for him to be judged on the basis of his achievements, or lack thereof, within the scope of his powers. But Jamal is definitely not my only candidate. If the master of the press and writing Mohamed Hassanein Heikal was in his seventies he would have been on my list of candidates, which also includes Lt. Gen. Omar Suleiman, a man who was also successful in the political tasks he was assigned, including some of the most important issues of governance. Then there is my permanent candidate for the presidency, Amr Moussa. He has a first class political experience, ability and acumen, and has a high popularity in Egypt and Arab countries. I might also add by virtue of their posts Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Dr. El Feki. Perhaps a part of my choices above may be attributed to the fact that I want an Egyptian president that I know, instead of a president I will have to meet. On this basis as well, I nominate Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, who is a friend of mine. I had closely followed his work as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, and how he stood up to the United States and Israel. He won the Nobel Prize for Peace, which is enough to heap praise on him. This means that I also nominate Dr. Ahmed Zewail, another Nobel Prize Laureate. In the past, I thought he lived in another world, but I soon discovered that he is a true countryman who follows Egypt's concerns day after day. This is not to forget the government itself. I have many candidates from within it including its head Ahmed Nazif, the Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid, a very capable friend, and also Faiza Abul Naga, the Minister of International Cooperation, and the Minister of Finance Youssef Boutros Ghali. If the Egyptians elect a woman or a Copt as president, this would be a breakthrough that can be counted in their favor. These are all my candidates if the president decides to retire. There must be others whom I do not know, because Egypt is not lacking in men and women that are of the highest level of ability, ethics and patriotism. However, I write while I realize that running for the presidential elections is governed by Article 76 of the Constitution, not by me, and this will not be amended before the next elections. (Correction: An error occurred in yesterday's column yesterday, the book “Leila Is Ill in Iraq” is written by Dr. Zaki Mubarak) [email protected]
