Scenario of succession …how Egyptian bloggers regard it

In the first week of November, the annual conference for the ruling National Party will be held. Many believe that this conference is a step for Gamal Mubarak”s succession for the presidency of the party and then to succeed his father in ruling Egypt.

This conference will be held amid strong rumors about the president”s health where President Mubarak is trying to refute these rumors from now and then but still there is mysteriousness about his health.

Many people who warn against Gamal Mubarak”s succession have their excuses, especially after the rocket rise for Gamal Mubarak through political and economic channels. This can only be explained as attempts to herald for the future president through media.

In the Egyptian society, there is a new community that appeared which is the community of bloggers who adopt different political ideologies. We can find within these communities a mainstream of opposition also for Islamists besides there are no active participation in this blogosphere from the part of the proponents of the National party.

We tried to survey these different opinions among the Egyptian bloggers about the scenario of succession, in order to predict the majority of public opinion.

Opposition and magnifying the problem

At the beginning, we started with Amr Magdy, he is an Islamist blogger and he is the head of Al-jazeera talk in Egypt and he has his own blog “Tarqa”at keyboard” (strokes on keyboard)

Amr believes that Gamal Mubarak will not nominate himself as a president for the party this session however this can not keep him away from nominating him as the president of the republic. Legally, the candidate should be a member in the supreme committee for the party and it is not a condition to be its president.

Amr”s opinion is little bit surprising as he believes that the Egyptian opposition is exaggerating in the scenario of succession. He believes that Gamal”s succession will not take place or at least it would not take place through traditional forms. He assures that the opposition should rally and unite to combat the corruption of the regime rather than waiting for the scenario of succession.

Muslim Brotherhood won”t head the opposition

Magdi Saad the editor of “yalla mesh mohem” blog who is one of MB bloggers believes that this conference is like all recent conferences that paves way before succession. Saad believe that all initiatives towards succession are very clear. Saad believes that the following elections that would take place soon is a message to the west that National Party is changing and developing from comprehensiveness to comprehensive democracy. These signs are clear in the great number of flyers and the huge propaganda that is trying to “beautify the image” of Gamal, He also believes that the old guard in the party will be abolished soon in favor of the new guard.

Regarding the public”s response towards succession, saad believes that people”s opposition will be futile. We asked him about the role of MB in leading the popular opposition, he said, “MB would not lead any opposition and this does not indicate that the organization is weak but this is because MB leaders won”t lead an open confrontation with the regime especially after the recent security attacks against MB prominent figures and trying some of them before martial tribunals.”

If it would take place….the rule won”t be stable

” I believe that observing the conferences of the National Democratic party is a kind of wasting time…” Seif Alaa started his interview with this statement. Alaa is one of the famous bloggers as he is the editor of “Manal wa Alaa” blog. He believes that all the ongoing procedures are an introduction towards succession, but he does not care for this because this reflects only struggle in power and the ruling party, but they are not steps to beautify the image of Gamal Mubarak or to detect his popularity, he believes that observing this is a kind of wasting time.

Alaa comments on Gamal Mubarak saying, ” It is not necessary that succession would be to Hosni Mubarak”s son, but the successor would be the one who is chosen by him.”

“In case of succession, Gamal Mubarak would not enjoy a stable period in his presidency and I believe that succession can not be neglected by the Egyptian people.” He adds.

Sarah Muhammad, the editor of “homom masryah blog” and one of the founders of “aqlam masryah” magazine for bloggers on the web believes that what is taking place is an introduction to a major action. She believes that Gamal”s assuming to the committee of policies in the party indicates that he is paving way before being the president of Egypt.

Sarah believes that the Egyptian people would not oppose succession through deeds but through words and she believes that MB is the major opposing force in Egypt and is the responsible for moving the masses towards opposition..

Asmaa Yasser, the editor of “al-fajriya blog” and she is the daughter of the detained reformist Yasser Abdo where she pointed that MB and all national forces are responsible for edifying people about the dangers of succession on Egypt unless the Egyptian people will only respond through elites but not masses.

This indicates that bloggers who adopt different ideologies agree that there are signs for succession and this consensus is similar to that among Egyptian opposition.

It is worthy to mention, the Egyptian government has arrested many bloggers and tortured them several times like Abdul Moneim Mahmoud, Magdy Saad and the blogger Muhammad Al-Sharqawy because of their ideological affiliations