A senior official in Egypt's ruling party says President Hosni Mubarak will seek a sixth term in next year's election. National Democratic Party official Alieddin Hilal said Thursday Mr. Mubarak will be his party's candidate.
Mr. Mubarak is 82 years old and has ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years. He has not said publicly if he will seek re-election. Many political experts believe he is grooming his son, Gamal, to take over.
Reuters news agency quotes Hilal as saying a formal nomination process will not take place until a month or two before the election, which is expected in the latter half of 2011.
Mr. Mubarak has set a November 28 date for parliamentary elections this year. His ruling National Democratic Party is expected to dominate the elections, which for the first time will include 64 women-only seats.
Egyptian democracy advocate Mohammed ElBaradei has called for a boycott of the November polls, saying the voting will be rigged. The former United Nations nuclear chief and Nobel Peace Prize winner has said he will not consider running in next year's presidential election unless constitutional reforms take place.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
