Egypt and Mubarak

Mubarak is a military officer from modest origins. He showed no interest in political activity while serving as a young officer.

Nevertheless, he demonstrated a remarkable capacity to remain in power!!! in 2005 he was elected to a fifth six-year term as president.

Mubarak has introduced a minimum of structural adjustments while appearing to liberalize political and economic practices.


He did not support significant reforms and he is not able to present a compelling vision of Egypt's future!!! Egyptians' future is stagnating! In 1984, Mubarak permitted the Wafd Party to enter candidates in the election after 32 years of banishment!

Mubarak has introduced tighter controls over the oppositional political activity. Mubarak also continued Sadat's comitment to a mixed public sector/private sector economy and refused to listen to the International Monetary Fund when they asked him to accelerate economic privatization.

The most persistent opposition to the regime of Mubarak comes from the diverse Islamic organizations within the country. He deployed force to crush the militant Islamic groups.

The state is the main employer. 4.8 million Egyptians were on the public payroll! 35% of the labor force. Corruption is widespread because employees wages shrink and the working conditions are awful. State officials try to augment their incomes by making arrangements with private companies.

Mubarak needs to guide Egypt to a more Democratic political system!

Several thousand demonstrators have taken to the streets of the Egyptian city of Alexandria to protest against alleged police brutality. They were led by the former UN nuclear chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, now a campaigner for reform in his homeland.

Mohamed ElBaradei, an opposition leader in Egypt, was briefly detained by police after he prayed at a mosque in the Giza area but he later took part in a march with supporters.

"The popular outcry is loud and clear, but whether it can translate into a political force is questionable" said Aran, a Middle East expert at London's City University.