Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

Opposition parties are pressing for all amendments that sanctify the holding of power by a single ruler to be scrapped. They also wish for laws restricting freedoms to be annulled, along with a decades-old state of emergency that gives the government wide-ranging powers

Egypt has been led by President Hosni Mubarak for nearly three decades. A 2005 presidential election was the first to allow multiple candidates, but tough requirements limit who can run

"Because of lack of democracy and mono-rule, Egyptians' lives are getting worse with the collapse of public services, spread of poverty, unemployment and corruption," said the statement

The statement was issued by the Democratic Front Party, the Nasserite Party, the Wafd Party and the Tagammu Party, which together hold about 10 of parliament's 454 seats

The biggest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, which has 88 seats, did not join the three days of meetings though it also calls for similar political changes

The parties called for parliamentary system in which the president acts as a judge between the legislative and executive authorities and has no political party affiliation

Mubarak, who is the leader of the ruling National Democratic Party, has not said if he will run in the next presidential election in 2011. Reports say he is grooming his son Gamal for the presidency