"'Mubarak Resigns'
February 5, 2011 11:50 A.M.
By NRO Staff
Just not as president:
Reuters is reporting, via Egyptian state television, that President Hosni Mubarak resigned as head of Egypt's ruling party on Saturday. Al Jazeera is reporting the same.
Other top leaders have also stepped down, including Gamal Mubarak, the son of the president, who has long been considered by many the presumptive heir to the presidency.
The secretary-general of the party, Safwat el-Sharif, has also resigned in a gesture to protesters, Reuters reports. "The new secretary general of the party is Hossam Badrawi, seen as a member of the liberal wing of the party."
Assuming this is accurate, Mr. Mubarak would still retain the presidency, so the impact of his resignation from the party is unclear. Protesters could see the move as cosmetic, or it may shift public sentiment in Egypt toward compromise and away from the protesters.
Mr. Mubarak has said repeatedly he will remain in office until elections in September, in which he will not run. The National Democratic Party has long dominated political life in Egypt, and the shake up of the party leadership would appear to be a major development."
nationalreview.com |
