Mubarak son claims reform credit

Gamal Mubarak did not rule out standing for the presidency in 2011

President Hosni Mubarak's son, Gamal, has taken credit for bringing in political reforms which helped his father win Egypt's presidential ballot.

Gamal Mubarak, a senior member of the ruling National Democratic Party, made the claim at its annual conference.

His high-profile political activities have been strongly criticised by pro-democracy groups who say he is being groomed to succeed his father.

The conference comes ahead of Egypt's parliamentary election in November.

Correspondents say there will be strong competition between the party's old guard and younger members to be on the list of candidates.

'Ability to modernise'

Gamal Mubarak, 41, said he would not be standing in the parliamentary election himself.

However, while saying it was too early to consider whether he would run for president in 2011, he did not rule it out.

He told the conference the party had "proved its ability to modernise" during the campaign for the presidency earlier this month.

Hosni Mubarak won the first contested election by a vast margin

Gamal Mubarak has headed the party's influential policies committee since 2002, during which time he has led its reformist camp.

"The political reforms we have adopted will be judged during these parliamentary elections," he said.

The party has come under increasing pressure from opposition politicians and rights groups to move faster on reforms to allow free and fair balloting.

Hosni Mubarak, 77, was sworn in for a new six-year term as president on Tuesday, after winning the country's first-ever contested elections by a huge margin.

Opposition groups dismissed his re-election as a fraud and called for a re-run. International observers have not been allowed to monitor the voting process.

Egypt's leader for 24 years, Hosni Mubarak had previously been elected only in single-candidate referendums but changed the system earlier this year under pressure from the US and domestic political groups.