Mubarak Resigns as Head of the National Democratic Party!

I just saw the headline on CNN. Mubarak and the leadership of the ruling party have resigned. Not much else known at this point. I will update when more information is made available.

[Update 6:46 p.m. in Cairo, 11:46 a.m. ET] President Hosni Mubarak has resigned as head of the National Democratic Party, along with other members of the party's general secretariat, state TV reported.

news.blogs.cnn.com

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has resigned as the head of the country's ruling party, according to state TV.

It also reports that the party's secretary-general Safwat el-Sharif and Gamal Mubarak, the son of Mr Mubarak, quit as a gesture to anti-government protesters.

news.sky.com

So, what plan do they have in place? Anyone know or want to wager a guess?

Thank you - that is indeed good news. I will check back for further details.

reply to post by Aggie Man


Sky have it now but they are not ettributing it to anyone. Simply "Reports say....." Probably true though. And not before time.. Now what I wonder?

EGYPT: HOSNI MUBARAK RESIGNS AS PARTY LEADER

(AGI) Cairo- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has resigned as the head of the National Democratic Party, according to al Jazeera.

Egypt's Mubarak 'Quits Ruling Party'

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has resigned as the head of the country's ruling party, according to state TV.

Mubarak 'steps down as NDP head'

State television reported that Mubarak stepped down, along with the rest of the National Democratic Party's (NDP) top leadership, on Saturday.

Hossam Badrawi has been appointed the new secretary-general of the party, according to state television. He replaces Safwat El-Sherif, a Mubarak loyalist, in that post.

Mubarak resigns as head of Egypt's ruling party, but remains president

Hosni Mubarak has resigned as head of the ruling National Democratic party, but remains as president of the country, CBS and The Associated Press report.

it says, hosni mubarak remains head of state,
resignations include mubarak's son, gamal
hossam badrawi named new secretary-general

HE'S STILL 'PRESIDENT' THOUGH


No celebrations yet.

One day (hopefully very soon) he'll be gone.

Today (symbolically) saw mass resignations to his ruling National Democratic Party.

------------

The politburo of Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) has resigned en masse, in an apparent response to anti-government protests.

Two key allies of President Hosni Mubarak, including his son Gamal, were stripped of their posts.

Both positions were taken by Hossam Badrawi, a reformer and prominent physician.

Protesters still occupy Cairo's Tahrir Square, but their numbers are have fallen from Friday's huge rally.

Mr Mubarak has also held talks with his ministers to try to revive the economy.

www.bbc.co.uk...

Fox.

Realize that he has only resigned as party leader. He has NOT (so far) resigned as president. A distinct difference.

reply to post by crazydaisy


wowow

crazy,, your cat looks just like mine ----trips me out....

Originally posted by SunSword
Realize that he has only resigned as party leader. He has NOT (so far) resigned as president. A distinct difference.

If that is the case, then CNN seems to have jumped the gun a bit. This is CNN's "Breaking News" headline on their website:

Members of leadership of Egypt's ruling party, including President Hosni Mubarak, submit resignations, state TV reports.

Originally posted by Aggie Man

Originally posted by SunSword
Realize that he has only resigned as party leader. He has NOT (so far) resigned as president. A distinct difference.

If that is the case, then CNN seems to have jumped the gun a bit. This is CNN's "Breaking News" headline on their website:

Members of leadership of Egypt's ruling party, including President Hosni Mubarak, submit resignations, state TV reports.

if you read it closely it says he resign's as party leader not presidency. but ya msm always try to sensationalise things!

So, he has resigned from the National Democratic Party but hasn't resigned as president. Without the backing of a party and the massive protests, would this not make him a sitting duck at this point...not that he wasn't already.

What real significance does his resignation hold at this point? Anyone know? I'm not well versed in Egyptian politics, or lack thereof.

reply to post by scoobyrob


It is my understanding that according to their Constitution, He must still be "President" to change any of it.
So this is an important step. It still allows provisions for Constitutional changes, without defying the Law.

reply to post by Zeptepi


i know nothing if very little about that sort of thing but ya i agree it is a step in the right direction!! the people want change and finally something is starting to change for them, it may not all happen at one but its taking steps in the right direction.

reply to post by Aggie Man


To Clarify my use of quotation marks around "President". He Would be president in title only.
So that the needed changes to the Constitution can be expedited.

Without a backing party...he is of no power.

Originally posted by Foxoutfoxing
HE'S STILL 'PRESIDENT' THOUGH
No celebrations yet.

wow, that is exactly what I was gonna say
but you beat me to it.

It is a Mubarek political stunt to make people
think he is stepping down as president.
If his stunt works, then he hopes it will
quell the violent protesting.

reply to post by boondock-saint


The way the Egyptian Constitution reads,
No changes can be made to it without him as "President".

Very strange...but accurate. So to change it,legally, he must still hold the "Office of President".
He Has no power without the party.
This is a good thing.

reply to post by boondock-saint

It is a Mubarek political stunt to make people
think he is stepping down as president.
If his stunt works, then he hopes it will
quell the violent protesting.

You really think so? What's gonna happen when the people find out he was just kidding?

If he thought the protests were violent before...

Originally posted by Zeptepi
reply to post by Aggie Man

 

To Clarify my use of quotation marks around "President". He Would be president in title only.
So that the needed changes to the Constitution can be expedited.

Without a backing party...he is of no power.

Thank you for the clarification!

Here is a bit more information regarding the transition of power and the necessity for Mubarak to remain President during the transition:

For a real transition to democracy to begin, Mubarak must not resign until he has signed decrees that, under Egypt's constitution, only a president can issue. This is not simply a legal technicality; it is, as Nathan Brown recently blogged for ForeignPolicy.com, the only way out of our nation's political crisis.

Egypt's constitution stipulates that if the president resigns or his office becomes permanently "vacant," he must be replaced by the speaker of parliament or, in the absence of parliament, the chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court. In the event of the president's temporary inability to exercise his prerogatives, the vice president is to take over as the interim head of state. In both cases a new president must be elected within 60 days. Significantly, the constitution prohibits the interim president from introducing constitutional amendments, dissolving parliament or dismissing the cabinet.

What Mubarak Must Do Before He Resigns

reply to post by Aggie Man


Thanks!

I knew about the Constitutional loophole,
but was too lazy to go look it up.

Thank you for finding and posting it here.

It's important to make sure that I was not just blowing smoke.

Cheers!

reply to post by Aggie Man


Good point. It sounds like the Egyptians wanted to be very cautious about transition of power.

The link you gave here is very informative. I'll bet the people are celebrating over this provision ( note the highlighted part ):

So before Mubarak resigns he must sign a presidential decree delegating all of his authorities to his vice president until their current term ends in September. Mubarak issued similar decrees, transferring his powers to the prime minister, when he was hospitalized in 2004 and 2009. In addition, Mubarak must issue decrees lifting the "state of emergency" that has allowed him to suppress Egyptians' civil liberties since 1981 and ordering the release or trial of those held in administrative detention without charge - estimated to be in the thousands.