In a surprise and dramatic reversal, President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday ordered the constitution changed to allow challengers on the ballot this fall, paving the way for the first-ever multiparty presidential elections in the world's most populous Arab country.This is excellent news. I had heard previously that Mubarak was planning to strengthen his hold on power for his son, but it is starting to look like the transformative power of democracy is taking hold all over the Middle East...any idea what caused that?
An open election has long been a demand of the opposition but was repeatedly rejected by the ruling party, with Mubarak only last month dismissing calls for reform as "futile."
The sudden shift was the first sign from the key U.S. ally that it was ready to participate in the democratic evolution in the Middle East, particularly after historic elections in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. Mubarak's government has faced increasingly vocal opposition at home and growing friction with the United States over the lack of reform.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Egypt to Get 'Freer' Elections
From NewsMax:
