CAIRO, 2 January 2004 — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has said his son Gamal will not take over the presidency after him, the official MENA news agency reported yesterday.
“This is nonsense... the regime in Egypt is republican, there is no hereditary transfer of power. This happened in a certain country, it will not happen in Egypt,” Mubarak said in a television interview, the transcript of which was carried by MENA.
Mubarak was referring to fellow Arab state Syria, where Bashar Assad took over power from his father Hafez after his death in 2000.
Gamal Mubarak, 40, was named in 2002 to head the ruling National Democratic Party’s powerful political committee, fueling rumors that he was being prepared to succeed his father, although he has not made a career in the armed forces.
But the 75 year-old president, who has been in power since 1981, said he was initially reluctant to let his son join the ruling party.
“The talk of a hereditary transfer of power started after my son joined the party.
But he joined with great difficulty, after several requests were conveyed to me,” he said, without naming those who had asked him to accept.
The issue of the succession came under renewed attention in November when the president interrupted a keynote speech to Parliament because of what officials said was a bout of severe flu.
Mubarak has never named a vice president, the route he and his predecessor Anwar Sadat took to become head of state, both after a career in the army.
The constitution says if the president dies or is unable to exercise his functions, the speaker of Parliament becomes acting president for 60 days, during which Parliament must designate a presidential candidate by two-thirds majority.
The candidate must then be endorsed by referendum.
