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Mubarak Credited for Egyptian Stability During 30-Year Rule

VOA News February 11, 2011

Egypt's leader Hosni Mubarak, who resigned Friday after 30 years in power, was credited by some with keeping Egypt stable during his rule, but others say that stability came at too high a price.

The former air force commander, 82, attained the presidency in 1981 after militants assassinated his predecessor, Anwar Sadat.

Mr. Mubarak was Sadat's vice president and was next to him when he was shot dead at a military parade in Cairo. Mr. Mubarak himself has survived at least six assassination attempts.

Under his rule, Egypt maintained peace with Israel and close ties with the West. Mr. Mubarak's government was a key ally of the United States in efforts to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The embattled president also earned Western support for cracking down on Islamic extremism.

At home, however, President Mubarak's policies angered many. He kept the country under a deeply unpopular emergency law that restricted basic freedoms and gave the police sweeping powers of arrest. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's leading opposition group, have faced frequent arrests and extended detentions.

A popular uprising against the president, marked by more than two weeks of massive street protests in Cairo and other cities in Egypt, eventually forced Mr. Mubarak to resign and for the military to take control of the state.

Mr. Mubarak took a step toward democratic reform in 2005 by allowing the nation's first multi-candidate presidential election, but he later jailed his main opponent, Ayman Nour, on corruption charges. In the most recent parliamentary elections, the president's National Democratic Party crushed the opposition amid widespread accusations of intimidation and vote rigging.

Economically, though Mr. Mubarak's reforms led to a boom in Egypt's economy, they are blamed for widening the gap between rich and poor. Anger grew over high unemployment and poverty.

Mr. Mubarak's perceived grooming of his son Gamal as his successor also drew resentment from Egyptians.

The president has two sons with his half-British wife, Suzanne, a graduate of the American University in Cairo.

There have been lingering questions about Mr. Mubarak's health. In March 2010, he traveled to Germany where he underwent surgery to remove his gall bladder.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.