CAIRO: Constitutional reforms and an amendment to Article 76 were some of the discussions dominating the National Democratic Party’s supreme policies council conference this weekend.
Speaking to the press following the conference, Gamal Mubarak, head of the policies committee, and Safwat El-Sherif, general secretary of the NDP, refused to enforce any amendments to the constitution, encouraging any candidate that meets the criteria to run in the next presidential elections.
“The NDP is preparing for the parliamentary elections next year according to the amendments in Article 76 of the constitution that the party adopted in 2005, Mubarak said.
“There are no guardians on this country; the last constitutional reforms opened the door for competition on the highest position in the state which is a positive sign; people can talk as they wish but only the legislative framework has the last word, he added.
Former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei and General Secretary of the Arab League Amr Moussa have called for amendments in the constitution, opening a window for them to run in the 2011 elections.
“Those who meet the criteria set by the constitution can run in the elections, they are most welcome; we aren’t against anyone and we can’t evaluate any of the candidates, we are just most interested in the legislative assets, El-Sherif said.
Emad Gad, political analyst at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said that reforms in the constitution will depend on the NDP’s candidate in the next presidential elections.
“If President Hosni Mubarak runs in the elections, there will be no changes but if Gamal Mubarak is the NDP’s candidate then there will be a strong campaign calling for amendments, Gad told Daily News Egypt.
“The NDP is the only entity that can decide whether there will be amendments or not because it has the majority of MPs at the People’s Assembly and the Shoura Council, he said, adding however that “it is still too early to tell.
El-Sherif stressed that President Hosni Mubarak is the party’s candidate for any presidential elections in the future.
“He is the one who can decide. Thanks to him, we witnessed the biggest move for change in the party that resulted in the youth taking over 65 percent of the party’s positions, he said.
Press coverage of the conference varied. While independent daily Al-Dostour focused on Mubarak’s and El-Sherif’s comments regarding the consititution, state-owned Al-Ahram highlighted the NDP’s future policies regarding its electoral program and the upcoming parliamentary elections.
“The next six months will witness the largest follow up campaign to the party’s programs as well as the execution several political, economic and social initiatives, Mubarak said.
Initiatives include a LE 10 billion stimulus package to the economy and a total restructuring of healthcare system and a new legislation for pensions and insurances.
El-Sherif said that the NDP’s candidates in the parliamentary elections will be chosen based on their efficiency and interaction with the people, adding that nepotism won’t be tolerated.
“We are now concerned with the parliamentary elections and following up on the execution of our programs; we will talk about the presidential elections when its time comes, Mubarak said.
