Day By Day

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

A Cairo Spring? Unlikely!

Is the democracy imperative about to change Egypt?

The Telegraph seems to think so:

Judging from the growing number of street protests against the president, the strident headlines of opposition newspapers, and the open pressure for reform from Washington, there is now a "Cairo Spring" in the air.

With an eye on pro-democracy revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia, Egypt's old guard is nervous about where the "democracy thing", as one senior official put it, will lead.

But there is one Mubarak who welcomes the new climate. "This is a period of vibrancy, change and reflection," said Gamal Mubarak, the president's 42-year-old son who is widely regarded as a strong contender to succeed his father.

"We have presidential elections in September and parliamentary elections in November. We want the elections to send a message to our people that there is serious change."

Gamal has been working for years to establish his credentials as a reformer, obviously positioning himself to replace his father, probably in 2011. He talks like a republican but so far there is no indication that any of the Mubareks intend anything more than cosmetic changes in what is essentially an autocracy.

Read the Telegraph puff piece here.

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