CAIRO, Sept. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Ten candidates will compete in Egypt's first direct presidential election on Wednesday. The following are brief profiles of the candidates and their campaign planks.

    Hosni Mubarak (the ruling National Democratic Party)

    Egypt's incumbent President, 77, came into power following the assassination of former President Anwar Sadat in October 1981. Fromthen on, he has won four six-year terms under the old procedure of national referendums on a single candidate chosen by parliament.

    In February, Mubarak ordered the parliament to amend the constitution to allow more than one candidate to compete in the presidential elections.

    He campaigns mainly on political reform, economic rehabilitationand infrastructure improvement.

    On political reform, he introduces constitutional and legislative reforms to better protect civil liberties, reinvigoratepolitical parties, enhance public policy and decision-making and limit the power of the executive.

    On economic policy, he promises to create 4 million job opportunities in six years, encourage and finance micro-projects and empower the private sector to build 1,000 factories.

    On social policy and infrastructure, his plan includes extendinghealth insurance coverage to all citizens, building 3,500 new schools, introducing life-long learning opportunities and authorizing the building of 80,000 subsidized homes every year.

    Noman Gomaa (New Wafd Party)

    Noman Gomaa, 71, a former law school dean, is the current chairman of the liberal New Wafd Party which is one of the country's oldest and most prominent opposition parties. Gomaa decided to run for presidency after members of the party's supreme committee convinced him that the Wafd should be part of the presidential election.

    Gomaa's platform reflects the party's liberal bent. At the economic level, Gomaa upholds limiting governmental expenditure to cut deficits, placing greater regulation on foreign loans, establishing a new taxation and customs law to attract investors, tackling chronic unemployment and promoting exports.

    On politics, Gomaa's priorities are abolishing all exceptional laws, including the state of emergency in effect since 1981 as wellas releasing political detainees.

    Ayman Nour (Ghad Party)

    The 41-year-old chairman of the Ghad (Tomorrow) Party has been widely referred to as the country's most serious opposition candidate, mainly by the foreign media.

    Before founding the Ghad Party, Nour was a leading member of theNew Wafd Party, which he left in 2001 after a major feud with its leader Noman Gomaa. He is currently mired in a forgery trial, whichwill resume on Sept. 25.

    Nour promises to combat corruption, slash unemployment and rein in soaring prices. One of his most publicized policies in his election campaign is to introduce unemployment benefit for those who join vocational training courses.

    He says he will also introduce elections for mayors and provincial governors, now appointed by the government, and a singlecivil status law for marriage, divorce and inheritance to replace the current separate laws for Muslims and Christians.

    The other seven candidates are little known.

    --Mamdouh Qenawi, 69, leader of the Constitution Party

    --Osama Shaltout, 66, leader of the Solidarity Party

    --Fawzi Ghazal, 73, leader of the Egypt 2000 Party

    --Rifaat el-Agroudi, 63, leader of the Accord Party

    -- Wahid el-Oqsuri, 52, leader of the Egypt Arab Socialist Party

    --Ahmed el-Sabahi, 89, leader of al-Ummah or the Nation Party

    -- Ibrahim Turk, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. Enditem