Cairo Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak used his first speech on Saturday night to the nation since undergoing a surgery last month to affirm, among other things, that he is still fit to rule, according to a political analyst.
"Returning from an operation and a 28-day convalescence, Mubarak was keen to leave no-one in doubt that he is following closely the national scene and is ready to reaffirm the rules by which political players should abide," Mahmoud Al Fawal, a professor of political science told Gulf News on Sunday.
Looking pale during his first address since having gallbladder surgery in Germany on March 6, Mubarak, 81, sternly warned that the "societal interplay and vigour" in Egypt would degenerate into "wrangling and infighting" and would trigger "stabilising setbacks".
"The societal interplay and vigour Egypt is witnessing today is the result of the initiative I took five years ago. It is a proof of Egyptians' vitality and testifies to the unprecedented freedoms of speech, expression and press they enjoy," Mubarak added in his televised address marking the return of Sinai from Israel to Egypt.
Egypt had its first competitive presidential elections in 2005, which Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981, swept.
"I welcome this vigorous interplay so long as it abides by the rules of the constitution and law, and seeks the nation's interests."
Mubarak was apparently referring to the pro-reform protests that Egypt has been witnessing since the homecoming of Mohammad Al Baradei, the former chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, last February. Al Baradei, 67, has said he is considering running in the 2011 presidential election, but made his bid conditional on getting guarantees that the election would be fair and honest.
Though Mubarak has pledged to hold fair elections, Al Fawal, a political expert, believes that the Egyptian leader has no intention to introduce drastic constitutional changes demanded by the opposition.
"Mubarak is not that sort of a statesman who bows to pressure, even if it is public. He was at pains [on Saturday] to show that he will not allow anyone to deviate from the rules he has already laid down over the past 29 years," he argued.
Mubarak, an ex-army officer, has not said if he will seek a sixth term after his current tenure ends.
"I think that he will run for another term. There is no reason to believe otherwise," added Al Fawal.
Opposition claims that Mubarak is grooming his influential son, Jamal, to succeed him. Both Mubaraks have vehemently denied the claims.
