HOSNI Mubarak’s conviction in Cairo on Saturday sends out the message loud and clear: political stability grounded in authoritarianism doesn’t work, and the only system that lasts is one which derives its authority from the people. The first to be convicted of the four Arab dictators who have fallen to the Arab Spring, Mr Mubarak ruled with an iron hand for 30 years and perpetuated a tradition that had begun with Gamal Abdel Nasser and continued under Anwar Saadat. While his predecessors had some achievements to their credit, Mr Mubarak had nothing to offer the Egyptian people except a stifling political system rife with corruption. He muzzled the press and persecuted dissent, thus driving genuine opposition underground. The parliamentary elections he held were fixed, and he only invited ridicule for himself when he won referenda with more than 90 per cent of votes. He played no decisive role in the Arab-Israeli conflict and was perceived by the vast majority of his people and the Arab world at large as the mainstay of American policies in the Middle East. No wonder, then, that the Egyptian people’s anger against decades of despotism exploded in full fury when they followed the Tunisian example and demolished Mr Mubarak’s house of cards in 18 days. While the court denied the prosecution’s plea for a death sentence, Mr Mubarak will now pass the rest of his life in prison for complicity in the killing of protesters — an anti-climactic end for an otherwise colourful personality who often occupied centre stage in Arab affairs.

The world will now watch with keen interest Egypt’s transformation from a dictatorship to a democracy. The results of the parliamentary election and the first round of the presidential race show that the Muslim Brotherhood has emerged as a major force. If the Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi manages to win the second round, he will be Egypt’s first truly democratically elected president. His rule will prove whether or not the Brotherhood now believes in a system based on pluralism rather than in an ideology that doesn’t believe in coexistence with those with whom it differs.