Hosni Mubarak

Muhammad Hosni Said Mubarak (born May 4, 1928), usually known as Hosni Mubarak, has been President of Egypt since October 14, 1981. He reached the Vice-Presidency after moving up the ranks of the Egyptian Air Force and succeeded Anwar Sadat following his assassination (6 October 1981).

As president of Egypt, he is considered to be one of the most powerful leaders in the region. He is known for his moderate stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and is frequently involved in negotiations between the two sides.

Early Days

Mubarak was born on May 4, 1928 in Kafr-El Meselha, Egypt. Upon completion of high school, he joined the Egyptian Military Academy, where he received his bachelor's degree in military sciences. In 1950, he joined the Air Force Academy and earned a bachelor's in aviation sciences, graduating at the top of his class. He then went up the chain of command holding the positions of pilot, instructor, squadron leader, and base commander. In 1964, he was appointed head of the Egyptian Military Delegation to the USSR.

In the years between 1967 to 1972, during the so-called War of Attrition between Egypt and Israel, Mubarak was appointed Director of the Airforce Academy and Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Air Force. In 1972, he became Commander of the Air Force and Deputy Minister for Military Affairs. In October 1973, following the Yom Kippur War, he was promoted to the rank of Air Marshall. In April 1975, he was named vice-president of Egypt and, in 1978, he was selected to serve as vice chairman of the National Democratic Party (NDP).

Egypt under Mubarak

Following the assassination of President Anwar Sadat at the hands of Islamist extremists, Mubarak became President of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Chairman of the National Democratic Party. President Mubarak has been re-elected by majority votes for successive terms on three occasions: in 1987, 1993, and 1999. The elections are of questionable validity and no one ever runs against him for fear of violence.

He spoke out against the 2003 war on Iraq, arguing that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be tackled first. Egypt was a member of the allied coalition in the 1991 Gulf War to evict Iraq from Kuwait.

Critics argue that he has become corrupt, enriching his own family by, among other things, selling public sector firms to his son Gamal at deep discounts.

In spite of health problems, Mubarak refuses to name a vice president and successor, as required under the Egyptian Constitution.

Notes

• Variant spellings include: Mohamed Hosni Said Mubarak, Mohammed Hosni Said Mubarak, Muhammad Hosni Said Mubarak, also with different names omitted and with occasional reordering.

External links

1. Egyptian government page – http://www.presidency.gov.eg/html/the_president.html
2. Another government page – http://www.sis.gov.eg/egyptinf/politics/preside/html/mubarak.htm