Mubarak avoids addressing presidential election issue

Mubarak avoids addressing presidential election issue

In his first public appearance since rumors that cancer is taking its toll President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak addressed the nation Thursday commemorating the 58th anniversary of Egypt ‘s "July revolution".
 
The 83 year old’ speech was partly designed to give reassurance about his health and to highlight the President’s future visions and solutions as Egypt moves towards achieving its goals
 
 Mubarak assumed power in 1981 after the late president Mohamed Anwar Sadat was assassinated and has since imposed the emergency law which has given the security power over citizens to arrest and indefinitely detains any individual who dare oppose the regime. The law which was recently renewed in May has been slammed both domestically and internationally with US secretary of state Hilary Clinton calling on Mubarak to fulfill a 2005 electoral promise to replace the law with permanent anti-terrorism legislation.
 
Despite assurances by PM Ahmed Nazif that the law would be applied to combat terrorists and drug traffickers security apparatus has continued to use the law to intimidate political opposition including  the popular Muslim Brotherhood, Kefaya, activists and bloggers.
 
Although the veteran ruler has not picked a vice president, the post he held before taking office controversy surrounds the issue with allegations that although he may step down the rule will still belong to the Mubarak family with rumors that he has been grooming Gamal his 47 year old son.
 
Both Mubarak and his son however deny any such plan.