CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak promised in an interview published Thursday that the year 2007 would witness unprecedented constitutional reforms. The year 2007 will witness a surge in constitutional reforms which coincide with political progress in Egypt, Mubarak told the state-owned Al Ahram daily s evening edition. He added that, for the time being, he was deploying maximum efforts to promulgate all the laws and legislation that forward political and economic reform, with the hope of completing the process by the end of 2006. Mubarak s government has been criticized at home and abroad, including by its key ally the U.S., for dragging its feet on the sweeping reforms promised during the long-time president s re-election campaign last year. The Muslim Brotherhood, which controls a fifth of parliament, and other opposition parties want constitutional reforms to turn Egypt into a parliamentary democracy. In a speech in July 2005, Mubarak himself voiced the need to reshape the relationship between the legislative and executive authorities in a way that creates a greater balance between them and strengthens the parliament s role in ensuring oversight and accountability. The 78-year-old president had also called for a reform of the electoral system giving an increased chance for party representation. AFP
Mubarak promises reforms in 2007
