Aspiring Egypt leaders launch campaigns
(AP)
Updated: 2005-08-18 09:46

Campaigning in Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election kicked off Wednesday with President Hosni Mubarak — unchallenged for 24 years and almost certain to win — trying to depict himself as just another competitor in a 10-man race, reported AP.

The Sept. 7 election is the cornerstone of Mubarak's reform program, and his government is trying to show it will be a fair race to convince skeptical Egyptians it is serious about greater democracy.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak waves to the crowd as he delivers a speech in Cairo August 17, 2005. Mubarak launched his campaign for a fifth six-year term on Wednesday with promises of higher salaries, more jobs for the young, universal health care and an end to 24 years of emergency law. [Reuters]

Previously, Mubarak was re-elected in yes-no referendums with only him on the ballot. But the United States has been pressing Mubarak, one of its closest Arab allies, to move ahead with democratic change, and the fairness of the election is a major test of Washington's policy of promoting reform in the Middle East.

Several major opposition parties are boycotting the vote, saying claims of open competition are a sham. The overpowering edge Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party enjoys in organization and influence was clear from the first day of campaigning, when billboards praising him cropped up overnight across the Egyptian capital. No opposition ads were to be seen.

Egyptian painter Samir Khamis puts the final touches on a giant billboard for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at a workshop in Cairo Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2005 a day before Egypt's first competitive presidential campaign begins.[AP]

Mubarak — who never before made a show of stumping for votes — delivered an old-fashioned appeal for support, promising greater political and economic reform in his opening campaign speech Wednesday. Wearing a blue jacket without a tie, he appeared before supporters chanting his name in a park in eastern Cairo.

"I will work hard to earn the support and the confidence of every one of you, the children of our people in Egypt's hamlets, villages and towns," he said.

"There are still more constitutional and legislative amendments to complete building our democracy. We still have more economic and social reforms to reach the modern society we dream of."

TV screens beside the podium showed a short campaign film on Mubarak, highlighting his private side. In the film, his wife talked about "the eye contact" that brought her and her future husband together when they first met. "He is a man anybody gets attracted to, elegant, balanced, handsome, full of confidence and greatness," Suzanne Mubarak said.

Trying to portray an image of a middle-class family, Mubarak revealed he didn't buy a car until few months after marriage. He even talked about crying when his political duties prevented him from accompanying his older son, Alaa, to Washington for back surgery.

The speech was aired live on a privately owned Egyptian satellite station, and his campaign said parts of it would be run on state-run television in the airtime slots allocated each candidate. The campaign has said Mubarak will abide by all campaign finance and media rules.

Egyptian opposition leader and presidential candidate Ayman Nour gestures during a rally in Cairo August 17, 2005. [Reuters]

Earlier this year, Mubarak pushed through a constitutional amendment allowing a direct election with competitors. Nine opponents are running against him, most from minor opposition parties. His main challengers are Noaman Gomaa, leader of the Wafd party, and Ayman Nour of the al-Ghad party.

Nour laid out his own political agenda in a speech just after Mubarak, arriving in a horse-drawn carriage to his campaign headquarters in an impoverished neighborhood of central Cairo.

Nour promised that as president he would abolish emergency laws, free all political prisoners and establish a human-rights ministry.

The first two years would be a transitional period "to move on from totalitarian rule to sensible rule and from tyrannical rule by one person to the rule of the homeland," he said.

"We shouldn't let defeat seep into hearts by assuming Mubarak will win. He's not going to win," Nour said to a roar of applause.

While the government has depicted the opening of the race to competitors as a major step toward democracy, the opposition has dismissed the vote as a sham, saying it is heavily stacked against them on nearly every level.

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