Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will seek a fifth and last six-year term in September elections and will name a civilian vice-president if he wins, British newspapers said this week, quoting the presidential spokesman. The spokesman, Suleiman Awad, denied on Thursday making the remarks when he met reporters for British news media this week. He had discussed reform in general terms and not "gone into any details and the statements attributed to him", a statement said.
But several British newspapers had quoted Awad as saying Mubarak, 77, would seek another term this year.
"This will be Mubarak's last term ... He wants a free, democratic and fair election. He wants to be remembered as the one who did this," the Guardian quoted him as saying.
"He will appoint a civilian vice-president to succeed him," The Times pm Wednesday quoted him as saying.