CAIRO — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called Saturday for a constitutional amendment to allow other candidates to run against him for the first time, a surprise move that could be a historic turning point in a country that has endured decades of repressive rule.
The announcement by Mubarak, a staunch U.S. ally, came a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice canceled a trip to the Middle East this week amid mounting tension over the autocratic Egyptian leader's crackdown on political opponents.
If the presidential race later this year unfolds as Mubarak described Saturday, it will represent a major shift, a stirring of political air significant not only to Egypt but in the broader Middle East, where a spate of elections and demonstrations has coincided with President Bush's calls for democratization.
Skeptical analysts said that the elections could fall short of expectations, a common phenomenon in a region that has heard much heady talk but seen very little serious political overhaul.
Noting that Egypt needed "more freedom and democracy," Mubarak said he'd sent a letter to lawmakers asking them to amend the constitution to open the presidential election to political competition. But the president, whose 23-year rule has never been opposed, was vague in describing who would be allowed to run for office.
Mubarak's televised speech from the Nile Delta province of Minufiya, where he grew up, jolted a nation that has repeatedly trekked to the polls to vote "yes" or "no" in referendums in which Mubarak was the only choice. The 76-year-old, Soviet-trained air force chief has been the president of Egypt since Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981.
This fall's vote would be carried out by direct, secret polling, Mubarak said. Political parties would be able to nominate candidates to vie for the presidency, and lawmakers should "provide guarantees that allow more than one candidate for the people to choose among them at their own will," he said.
In Washington, U.S. officials were encouraged by the speech but said the United States would watch to see how far-reaching Mubarak's reforms turned out to be.
"We'll see how much of a step it is, but it's certainly a step in the right direction," a senior State Department official said Saturday. The official called Mubarak's decision another sign that people in the Middle East took Bush's push for democracy seriously, "as well they should."
