Tough conditions make genuine contest unlikely

Under domestic and foreign pressure, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in February ordered a constitutional amendment to allow Egyptians to elect their president from among more than one contender.

The amendment was approved in a referendum late last month, clearing the way for a multi-candidate race for presidency in September.

Opposition, which slammed the change as a sham, says that conditions set for running for presidency are too tough to leave no room for a genuine contest.

Mubarak, who has been in power for almost 24 years, has yet to say if he will seek a fresh tenure, but he is widely expected to stand.

Over recent months, Mubarak, 77, has been the butt of unprecedented criticisms in opposition newspapers and street protests, which a top Muslim cleric dismissed as an aberration.

Ali Gomaa, Egypt's Mufti, has drawn fire from other Muslim clergymen for saying in a fatwa (religious ruling) that demonstrations were illegal from the Islamic perspective.

"Demonstrations, which express opinion in a refined manner and without sabotage are legal," said Abdullah Al Khatib, a member of Muslim Brotherhood.

"Demonstrations are one aspect of offering advice to the ruler."

Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest opposition force, has recently mounted massive protests, which drew a tough crackdown from authorities.

"Why did the Mufti keep silent when he was asked to comment on resistance acts in Iraq and Palestine, saying he is just a man of religion?" wondered Abdul Sabour Shaheen, a professor of Islamic jurisprudence.

"In contrast, he volunteers to pass fatwas which please the government such as recommending people to go to polls and banning anti-state demonstrations." Under Egyptian law, the president appoints the Mufti.

The writer is an Arab journalist based in Cairo