The surprise decision by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to propose a constitutional amendment that would allow direct and competitive presidential elections may be a giant step for democracy in Egypt and the Arab World. Westerners used to pluralistic democracy may find it hard to understand what a potentially huge shift this will be in a country accustomed to military rule for over 50 years.
埃及总统胡斯尼·穆巴拉克关于修改宪法，从而使总统选举以直接、竞争方式进行的惊人决定，可以说是在埃及和阿拉伯世界的民主道路上迈出了一大步。在多元化民主模式下生活多年的西方人可能很难理解这一举措对于一个50多年持续处于军事统治下的国家来说是一次多么巨大的转变。