In his first term, Mubarak was viewed as a liberator. He freed
several political prisoners and offered an avenue for discussion
among his political rivals. One such group is the New Wafd Party,
which was established in 1983, reviving the old Wafd Party that
was disbanded in the 1952 revolution. The New Wafd Party is
seen as the liberal democratic Islamic party and a major rival to
Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP). A constitutional
restriction had allowed the Egyptian People’s Assembly to elect a
president. Thus, Mubarak has been reelected four times over the
last two decades. In an effort to reduce international concerns
over his authoritarian regime, in 2005, President Mubarak facili-
tated a constitutional amendment that allowed parties to run
against the incumbent president. In the same year, the detention
of Dr. Ayman Nour, a dissident candidate of the Al-Ghad Party,
made countries including the United States question Mubarak
and his government’s commitment to free elections. News of
illegal votes in rural Egypt prompted Nour to challenge the elec-
tion results, which led to his imprisonment. Despite his extended
rule over Egypt, President Mubarak has enjoyed the confidence
of most Egyptians.