November 3rd, 2009 by Jason

Secretary Clinton will conclude her trip to the Middle East and Pakistan with a visit to Egypt. She will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a contentious time in Egyptian politics, as detailed by Michael Allen at Democracy Digest.

As the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) wrapped up their party convention, Gamal Mubarak criticized Egyptian opposition groups for trying to besmirch the NDP. This criticism was reinforced by the NDP official Ahmed Ezz, who blasted the opposition for attempting to  ”create a negative mental image of the party and mobilize public opinion against us.”

Meanwhile, Hamdi Qandil in al-Masry al-Youm questions what qualifications Gamal Mubarak has to become president, arguing “Gamal Mubarak has neither been made in Egypt nor lives in the real Egypt. He’s an Egyptian citizen only in theory.” He goes on to ask why the National Democratic Party has so harshly criticized other potential presidential candidates, like IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the Arab League Amr Moussa and Nobel laureate Ahmed Zuweil, who have all made undeniable contributions to their country. The answer, he argues, is that the NDP seeks “to kill the ambition of any citizen who is qualified to lead the country, so that the stage will be set” for Gamal Mubarak to succeed his father.

UPDATE: Sandmonkey argues “the Egyptian political scene is at an all time low, with all the players either sidelined (see Islamists, also leftists), or completely distracted (see liberals) with minutia and fighting over foreign funds.” He expresses special animus towards the “Pretenders” like the Kefaya movement, the 6th of April Youth and Ayman Nour.

Posted in Arab League, Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Pakistan, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Reform, US foreign policy, Women |