Hosni Mubarak

Continuing Sadat's Legacy

On October 14,1981, eight days after Sadat's assassination, his vice president, Muhammad Hosni Mubarak, was sworn in as president. He had been nominated by the People's Assembly and received 98 percent of the votes in a national referendum.

Relative Stability

Under Mubarak, Egypt entered a period of relative stability. Relations with the rest of the Arab world began to thaw after the years of isolation brought about by Sadat's policies. In 1989, Egypt was finally welcomed back into the Arab League and, the following year, its headquarters were finally transferred back to Cairo.

As well as actively supporting the Arab-Israeli peace process, and meeting with leaders on both sides, Mubarak also maintained Sadat's policy of friendship with its allies in the West, developing ever stronger military and financial ties. Indeed, Egypt proved to be an important player in the Gulf War in 1991, joining the U.S.-led Western coalition that helped to liberate Kuwait after it was invaded by Iraqi forces under Sadam Hussein. During the conflict, Egypt committed more than 30,000 of its troops.

Religious Fundamentalism and Democracy

Religious fundamentalism remained a major challenge for Mubarak, and as Sadat had done before, the Egyptian government began a huge crackdown on members of religious fundamentalist organizations, arresting many hundreds of people in the process and declaring a period of marital law.

In an attempt to provide himself with clear popular backing for economic reforms and to counter the alarming popularity of the Islamic movements, whose ranks were swelling with increasing numbers of Egyptians who felt alienated from the political process, Mubarak hoped to able to introduce greater democracy. To this end, the Wafd party was allowed to reform and all political parties, with the exception of the Muslim Brotherhood, were free to participate in elections in 1984. Yet, the elections failed to satisfy expectations of greater representation. The government National Democratic Party (NDP) gained more than 85 percent of the seats. The Wafd for its part managed to win 57 seats.