Campaigning drew to a close on Sunday in Egypt’s first multi-candidate presidential election, which most Egyptians have little doubt will give President Hosni Mubarak a fifth six-year term in office. Almost three weeks of rallies have sparked political debate not witnessed in decades, but many Egyptians still see little prospect the election on Wednesday will solve key problems such as poverty, unemployment, corruption and abuses of power.

Mubarak, who faces nine mostly little-known rivals, held a final rally on Sunday, the last day of campaigning. Ayman Nour, one of Mubarak’s most prominent opponents, addressed a crowd in the heart of Cairo on Saturday night after touring the country.

Mubarak spoke in front of Abdin Palace in Cairo, the former royal residence which has been the scene of pivotal events in Egyptian history, including the 1952 coup against the monarchy. Reading from a prepared text, as in all his campaign appearances, Mubarak promised to keep the country at peace and lead Egypt to a new era of democracy and prosperity.

But the 77-year-old leader, a military man fighting his first political campaign in 24 years, showed signs he might be tiring of adulation after 19 days speaking to party faithful. “I love you too” and “I sacrifice myself for you too” he wearily told the crowd, returning the chants interrupting him. Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif told Reuters in an interview that the election campaign had changed the political landscape.“The Egyptian people are being given a real chance at a contested presidential election. A lot of scepticism has been around but I’m very satisfied with what we have seen”, he said.

But many Egyptians said they would not bother to vote because they had no confidence in the procedures. Judges and civil society groups say all past elections have been rigged. In a crowd of several thousand in Cairo’s central Tahrir square on Saturday night, even Nour’s supporters said Mubarak, a former air force commander, would be the winner. “Everyone says Mubarak will win, so of course I am disappointed. If the country is to develop, we need change”, said Ahmed Mohammed, 31, an unemployed accountant.

In February, Mubarak proposed holding contested presidential elections to replace a system where parliament, controlled by his National Democratic Party (NDP), nominated a single candidate for approval in a referendum. Since the overthrow of the monarchy 53 years ago, no Egyptian president has left office through the ballot box. Mubarak’s immediate predecessor Anwar Sadat was assassinated and Gamal Abdel Nasser died in office.

Mubarak’s February announcement came amidst increased US calls for reform in the Middle East. Egypt, a major recipient of US aid, says it did not act under pressure. Washington has urged Egypt to accept foreign monitors, but the government said it saw no need and promised a fair race. “Egyptians – the community at large, the opposition parties and the judiciary – have all agreed that they do not want anybody (else) to run their elections. Egypt is a proud country”, Nazif told Reuters.

<B>Edmund BLAIR</B>