Mubarak quits as ruling party chief

CAIRO - Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak Saturday stepped down as chairman of the country’s ruling party, bowing to the protesters’ demand for the end of his 30-year rule.

Mubarak stepped down along with the rest of the National Democratic Party’s (NDP) top leadership, as tens of thousands of protesters are standing their ground in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Al Jazeera reported citing state television.

Hossam Badrawi has been appointed the new secretary-general of the party, according to state television. He replaces Safwat El-Sherif, a Mubarak loyalist, in that post.

Badrawi will also replace Gamal Mubarak, Mubarak’s son, as head of the party’s political bureau.