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Egyptian Ballot Initiative

(New Republic) Joshua Hammer and Christine Spolar - In the National Democratic Party's campaign nerve center in Cairo, Gamal Mubarak, the 41-year-old son of - and heir apparent to - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, was spinning with the smoothness of an American political consultant, insisting to all who listened that democracy had finally arrived in his repressive country. Beside him, campaign mouthpiece Mohammed Kamal, 39, endlessly touted Mubarak's "reform" platform to create more jobs, open more schools, and jump-start the stagnant economy. Kamal and Gamal Mubarak are the rising stars of an old regime that is trying to refashion its image: Western-influenced 40-somethings who speak fluent English, they think that the Middle East's autocracies need a facelift and see reform as the best way to lure foreign investment.
2005-09-23 00:00:00
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