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Looking back: Mubarak’s three decades in power
Key moments in the life of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak over 30 years of his political power
Mubarak’s grip on Egypt now looks slimmer as the army – his backer – pledged not to confront protesters who have been converging on Cairo demanding an end to his rule (Getty Images)
Egyptian vice-President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak (L) meets Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (R), on November 1976, during an official visit in Bagdad. (AFP/Getty Images)
Mubarak was thrust into office when Islamists gunned down his predecessor Anwar Sadat at a military parade in 1981. The burly former air force commander has proved a far more durable leader than anyone imagined at the time (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian vice President, Gen. Hosni Mubarak (L) and late President Anwar Sadat (R), both dressed in military honour suits, pray over the tomb of Egyptian revolution leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, 06 October 1981. (AFP/Getty Images)
An undated picture shows late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat (L) waving to a crowd as Vice-President Hosni Mubarak (R) laughs beside him standing in a convertible vehicle. Mubarak came to office as Egypt’s fourth president after late President Anwar Sadat was slained by a group of military Islamist fundamentalists with allegiance to the Al-Jihad during a military parade 06 October 1981 and has remained in power ever since, being re-elected five times. (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian vice President, Gen. Hosni Mubarak (L) and late President Anwar Sadat (R), both dressed in military honour uniforms, attend a military parade, 06 October 1981, in Cairo, commemorating Victory Day. Moments after, a group of military Islamist fundamentalists with allegiance to the Al-Jihad group killed Sadat in a shooting spree. Following Sadat’s assassination Mubarak was sworn in as Egypt’s fourth president, a position of power he has since retained, being re-elected five times. (AFP/Getty Images)
File picture dated 06 October 1981 shows Egyptian soldiers firing on Egyptian President Anwar Al-Sadat while reviewing a military parade in honor of The October 1973 War, in Cairo. The assassination is attributed to an Islamist extremist group. (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian Vice-President Hosni Mubarak (C) supervises as workers permanently seal the tomb of President Anwar el-Sadat, on October 10, 1981 at the Nasr City site in Cairo where he was laid to rest. (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (L) shakes hands with Pope John Paul II (R), on January 30, 1982 at the Vatican. (AFP/Getty Images)
US President Ronald Reagan (R) and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak attend the arrival ceremonies in the east room of the White House, February 3, 1982 in Washington DC. (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) shakes hands with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (L), on February 06, 1982 in London during his official visit to England. (AFP/Getty Images)
Vice-President Hosni Mubarak casts his vote, 13 October 1981, during a national referendum to decide whether he will succeed the slain President Anwar Sadat as leader of Egypt. Mubarak came to office as Egypts fourth president after late President Anwar Sadat was slained by a group of military Islamist fundamentalists with allegiance to the Al-Jihad during a military parade 06 October 1981 and has remained in power ever since, being re-elected five times. (AFP/Getty Images)
French President François Mitterrand (L) meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R), on November 24, 1982 in Cairo during his official visit to Egypt. (AFP/Getty Images)
From L to R: King Hussein of Jordan, US president Ronald Reagan and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak walk through the colonnades of the White, on February 14, 1984 for a working lunch at the White House, in Washington DC. (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak (R) and his wife Suzanne Mubarak visit the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, on December 11, 1986, during an official visit to France. (AFP/Getty Images)
Yasser Arafat (r), chairman of Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) shown in a picture dated 23 October 1988 in Baghdad with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (c) and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a mini Arab-summit. (AFP/Getty Images)
King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz (R) of Saudi Arabia smiles as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak welcomes him 27 March 1989 in Cairo at the start of a four-day official visit to Egypt. King Fahd, born in 1923, is a son of King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman al-Saud (Ibn Saud), founder of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (AFP/Getty Images)
Picture dated 12 May 1992 of Princess of Wales listening to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during her visit in Egypt. Diana, Princess of wales, died in hospital early 31 August after a midnight car crash in central Paris in which her friend the Egyptian millionaire film-producer Dodi al-Fayed and driver were also killed. (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) says goodbye to U.S. President Bill Clinton (L) after the two embraced 06 April 1993 following their meeting at the White House. President Clinton and President Mubarak vowed to advance the stalled Middle East peace process and strengthen their cooperation in the fight against terrorism. (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (L) greets King Hussein of Jordan as he arrives in Cairo 24 November 1993. The two leaders will discuss the Middle East peace process as PLO and Israeli negotiators meeting in Cairo sought a compromise for the release of Palestinian prisoners, a hurdle to an accord on Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptians cheer President Hosni Mubarak after his arrival 26 June 1995 at Cairo airport shouting ‘With soul and blood we sacrifice our lives for you.’ Mubarak returned ‘safe and sound’ to the Egyptian capital after surviving an assassination attempt in Addis Ababa 26 June where he was attending a summit of the Organisation of African Unity. (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (L) meets with Somali faction leaders Hussein Mohamed Aidid (R) and Ali Mahdi Mohamed (C), 25 December 1997. The two warlords signed a historic agreement in Cairo 22 December to set up a federal state and a three-year transitional government, ending six years of civil war. (AFP/Getty Images)
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh (R) reviews troops of honor with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak (L) upon his arrival to Cairo. (1997) (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) confers with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi (L) at his traditional colorful tent in Cairo 6 March 1999. Kadhafi made his way over the desert to Cairo where officials raised hopes he would soon free two Libyan suspects for trial over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (2ndL) and his wife Suzzane (L) pose for a picture with Jordanian King Abdullah II and Queen Rania in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, 24 October 2004. King Abdullah II called for all influential parties to attend an international conference on Iraq which Egypt will host next month (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R), Britain’s Prince Charles (2nd R), Egyptian First Lady Suzan (2nd L) and Camilla, Britain’s Duchess of Cornwall, pose for a picture before a dinner at the presidential palace in Cairo 21 March, 2006 (AFP/Getty Images)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) shakes hands with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy in Cairo 30 December 2007. Sarkozy held talks with Mubarak in Cairo on his first official visit to the Middle East since taking office in May (AFP/Getty Images)
US President Barack Obama (L) talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) as they arrive for a meeting with the leaders of the Group of Eight (G8), Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa and Egypt, during the G8 summit in L’Aquila, central Italy, on July 9, 2009 (AFP/Getty Images)
In this handout image provided by the Palestinian Press Office (PPO) Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (2R) meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) on February 6, 2010 in Cairo, Egypt. (Getty Images)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak addresses on December 25, 2010 the annual conference of the ruling National Democratic Party in Cairo after it won a sweeping electoral victory in a poll boycotted by the opposition, presenting himself as a man firmly in charge of both party and government less than a year before Egypt’s presidential election (AFP/Getty Images)
Turkish Muslims carry portraits of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on January 28, 2011 during a protest against his regime at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul (AFP/Getty Images)
A man kisses a photograph of President Hosni Mubarak during a pro-government demonstration on February 2, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Anti-government protestors continue to occupy further away in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo after President Mubarak announced that he would not run for another term in office but stay in power until elections later this year (Getty Images)
An engaged Egyptian couple join thousands of others as they gather in Cairo’s Tahrir Square heeding a call by the opposition for a ‘march of a million’ to mark a week of protests calling for the ouster of Hosni Mubarak’s long term regime, on February 1, 2011 (AFP/Getty Images)
An Egyptian demonstrator holds up a placard in Cairo on February 1, 2011 as massive tides of protesters flooded the Egyptian capital’s central Tahrir Square for the biggest outpouring of anger yet in their relentless drive to oust President Hosni Mubarak’s regime (AFP/Getty Images)
