CAIRO: After the war in Iraq, years of economic decline and decades of political stagnation, “reform” has become the born-again buzz-word among government and opposition leaders seeking a remedy for Egypt’s ills.

Critics greet the calls with a yawn and sense of deja vu, saying previous attempts to change the political and social system have led nowhere in the face of a rigid state structure unwilling to loosen its grip on power.

But with economic and political pressures building at home and abroad, analysts say Egypt is on the threshold of a new era whether it promotes reform or not. They say government and opposition are wise to jump on the bandwagon, or be left behind.

“There is a new political reality beginning to emerge in Egypt,” said commentator Hisham Kassem, adding that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein had been a watershed in a region where the United States had long tolerated and cooperated with autocratic governments.

“One problem is nobody was quite prepared for this, so there were no plans in the drawer on how to deal with it,” he said.

Some diplomats say recent state efforts to revamp the ruling party, fight corruption and promote human rights were “window dressing” to placate countries like the US which were increasingly linking reform to aid and political support.

Columnist Mohamed Sid-Ahmed said the ruling National Democratic Party’s (NDP) “face-lift” showed the situation had become “too critical for the status quo to remain what it was”.

“I think the changes that occurred in the party are in one way or another an admission that things, if they stayed as they are, would become threatening in the long run,” he said.

OPPOSITION PRESSURE: Analysts say opposition parties were quick to seize on the changing post-war mood, with a four-party coalition planning a general congress in June to call for significant political change. Today, opposition groups have only a minimal political voice in a system dominated by the executive and the NDP.