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Mubarak Faces Political Crisis

In recent weeks the Egyptian capital, Cairo, has seen an increasing number of demonstrations against the rule of Hosni Mubarak, President now for almost a quarter of a century. He's been under pressure both at home and abroad to introduce a measure of democracy to the country. Earlier this year, he surprised many by announcing that September's Presidential elections would be open to candidates other than himself. Richard Miron has been taking the political temperature of the country.

Soldiers and police surrounded my hotel. Traffic barriers kept cars at a safe distance and once inside I passed through a metal detector to get to the lobby. I was staying in Cairo's tourist area -- just around the corner from the famous Egyptian museum and opposite a beautiful stretch of the Nile. Traditional Egyptian sailing boats -- feluccas criss-crossed the broad river, and in the distance through the haze could be seen the imposing outline of the Pyramids on the edge of the city. Packs of camera toting visitors from Europe, Japan, the United States and elsewhere moved through the area under the watchful gaze of the security services.

One of the recent attacks aimed at tourists in which a suicide bomber injured a number of people happened close by and the authorities were taking no chances.

Egypt has faced this threat before. In the 1990s radical Islamic groups launched a series of attacks in an effort to destabilise the regime of President Hosni Mubarak. In one of them, in the city of Luxor, 58 people were killed. The authorities responded with force, arresting and jailing hundreds of suspected militants.

The latest upsurge in violence is causing jitters among many Egyptians. Mahmud sells embroidered wall hangings close to the busy Khan El Khalili bazaar in the old Islamic area of the city -- another spot that was until recently popular with tourists. Now fewer visit the bustling stalls. Those that do come are escorted in groups by policemen -- one at the front and one at the rear.

'Business is quiet -- do you think the tourists will stop coming?' he asked me anxiously over a cup of sweet mint tea -- while trying to sell me some cushion covers.

“These people who do these attacks are crazy.” he said.

The violence is the sharp end of opposition to President Hosni Mubarak. There have recently been demonstrations in the capital and around the country calling for greater democracy and freedom and the regime is nervous at this unaccustomed show of defiance.

A short stroll from Mahmud's shop is the main Al Azhar mosque. The yellowish stone building -- with ornate patterned carvings stands imposingly by a noisy road. Small shops selling prayer mats, copies of the Koran and other religious paraphernalia are situated next to the mosque for the convenience of the faithful. The mosque is one of the oldest and most venerated places of Islamic teaching in the world. But on a busy Friday -- the Muslim holy day -- around the front of the building worshippers are outnumbered by the black uniformed and helmeted riot police, there to deter any would be demonstrators. In the last few weeks thousands have gathered in Cairo and elsewhere calling for an end to corruption, for greater freedom, and an alternative to President Mubarak's rule. The regime has reacted in characteristic fashion -- arresting those who oppose it. The Moslem Brotherhood a religious opposition group says two thousand of its supporters are now being held by the police. And leading members of another reform minded group called Kefaya meaning 'enough' have been detained following protests throughout the country. The group's been campaigning against a fifth term for President Mubarak. They also want the lifting of the state of emergency which has been in force since he came to power twenty four years ago.

There are also mutterings against his rule from those who work for the government. Riham is employed by Egypt's state run broadcaster, and works on the news programmes which eulogize the Rais -- the President.

“Lots of things need to change here in Egypt,” she said, “and they should begin at the top.”

State run TV recently aired a seven hour interview across three nights with Mr Mubarak, much of it devoted to the President talking of his achievements as a fighter pilot during the Arab Israeli war of 1973. When I mentioned the broadcast, Riham rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Despite Mr Mubarak's proclamations of his government's success, the economy can't keep up with the rapidly growing population. Unemployment is high, with one in three out of work.

In the years that I have been visiting Cairo little has improved. Buildings are increasingly decrepit, the slums stretch out beneath the polluted flyovers in the city, and beggars young and old pursue you as you wander down the street.

The economic improvements and grand achievements promised by President Mubarak seem no more than a mirage to most Egyptians.

The biggest change I observed was the much larger number of police and army -- around the hotels, the tourist sites and the government ministries. The increased security is a sign of the growing uncertainty of Egypt's political future. Known as the Sphinx -- the inscrutable and eternal figure of Egyptian politics, Hosni Mubarak is now becoming for many a relic in need of replacement.