The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP)'s recent decision to ban three of its parliamentary candidates from standing in 28 November elections has kicked up a storm of speculation.
The three candidates to be banned are Daker Abdel Lah, who had been running for the professional seats in Manshiet Nasser and Gamaliya; Islam Medhat, who had been running for the professional seats in the Abdeen and Moski constituencies; and Ayman Taha, who had been running for seats reserved for workers in the Bolak Abu al-Eila constituency.
The fact that the three candidates had all previously organized campaigns in support of Gamal Mubarak–son of President Hosni Mubarak and head of the NDP's influential Policies Secretariat–soon led to rumors linking the ban with recent announcements by ruling party stalwarts that the elder Mubarak would, in fact, be the NDP's candidate in next years' presidential elections.
In response to the move, Abdel Lah said his pro-Gamal Mubarak campaign would continue despite his being banned from elections. Taha, for his part, said he would no longer be able to support Gamal Mubarak, noting that recent statements about a Hosni Mubarak candidacy had prompted the campaign to be halted "until President Mubarak officially announces his decision."
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
