Support grows for Mubarak's son

CAIRO, July 26 (UPI) -- Supporters of the 47-year-old son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak are advocating the younger Mubarak's bid for president in 2011, campaigners in Cairo said.

Magdi el-Kordi, a coordinator for a group describing itself as a coalition supporting Gamal Mubarak, said the return of Egyptian diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei to Egypt sparked his decision to advance the Mubarak legacy.

"I took this move in light of the serious national issues to have emerged recently, such as sectarian strife and the formation of ElBaradei's National Association for Change, which lacks a clear political agenda," he was quoted in Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm as saying.

ElBaradei returned to Cairo in February following his tenure as head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. His return led to allegations he would challenge Mubarak, 82, in 2011 elections.

Cairo spent last week deflecting claims that the Egyptian president's health was failing. Mubarak, who assumed the presidency following the 1981 assassination of Anwar Sadat, had his gall bladder removed early this year.

Mubarak hasn't made his intentions in the 2011 elections known publicly. It was rumored he was grooming Gamal for the position.

Nabih el-Alkamani, a member of the ruling National Democratic Party, told the Egyptian newspaper the Gamal support was overblown.

"Only President Mubarak can choose the party's candidate for next year's elections," he said.