April 26th, 2010 by Josh

Addressing all of Egypt in his first public remarks since undergoing surgery in Germany, President Hosni Mubarak promised free and fair elections for both parliament this summer and president next year — but once again failed to indicate whether he would stand for re-election come 2011.

“I say with sincerity and frankness that I welcome the interplay and movement in society, as long as it follows the constitution,” he said, emphasizing his firm belief that Egyptians enjoy unprecedented freedom that “allows them to express their opinions and partake in an independent press.” Mubarak’s speech also came during the front-end of Mohamed ElBaradei’s much-ballyhooed trip to the United States, during which he will speak at Harvard and meet with U.S.-based members of his recently formed National Association for Change (NAC).

Meanwhile, NAC leaders back in Egypt just announced their intention to hold a march on May 3 from Tahrir Square in Cairo to the People’s Assembly. They aim to present the speaker of parliament with a “memorandum” of demands, which include ending the emergency law and the immediate ratification of a law guaranteeing political rights in Egypt.

Posted in Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Protests, Reform |