October 23rd, 2009 by Jason

The head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, announced he is considering running for the Egyptian presidency in 2011. According to The Daily Star, “Moussa is wildly popular in Egypt and the Arab world for his frequent criticism of the United States and Israel.” In a recent interview, Moussa asserted “every capable and efficient citizen has the right to aspire for the supreme post, which is the president of the republic.”

Laura Rozen suggests that Moussa’s potential candidacy reminds “everybody that it’s not a guarantee that Egypt’s next leader will be as oriented to Washington” as Hosni Mubarak. She also quotes a former U.S. official who contends U.S. interests are “better served when a strategic country is run by a legitimate ruler who enjoys the trust of his own people as opposed to an American-paid autocrat who does our budding but is scorned by his subjects.”

Meanwhile, the political party Al-Wasat Al-Gadid (The New Centrist) has filed an official complaint to Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights after being denied official status last month. Last month’s rejection was the fourth time the party applied for, and failed to receive, official recognition from the Egyptian government. According to their complaint, the council members “violated the constitution and the law and betrayed their consciences” in order to oppose al-Wasat. Some experts believe the government opposes al-Wasat because it is a religion-based party.

Finally, the Arabist contextualizes the recent civil demonstrations against the E-Agrium plant in Damietta as part of “Egypt’s diffused wave of social protest” that has affected the entire country.

Posted in Arab League, Egypt, Elections, Israel, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political Parties, US foreign policy |