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Egypt is having its first multi-candidate elections on Sept. 7 with nine nominees challenging the incumbent of 24 years, President Hosni Mubarak.
Analysts believe that in spite of the dream by many Egyptians for a reform to the country’s political and economical problems, Mubarak may serve a fifth term in an attempt to start paving the road for his son.
Rumors have been spreading in the Egyptian streets that Mubarak’s son, Gamal, will succeed him. Under the Egyptian Constitution, the Parliament nominates a single presidential candidate whom the public can accept or decline in a referendum. In the opinion of some Egyptians, this law has come to an end.
The possible changes in Egyptian rule came to the forefront in Dec. 2004 with the emergence of the Kifaya movement, which means “enough” in Arabic. Its' slogan is "enough corruption, enough authoritarianism, enough hypocrisy and enough negativity."
George Isaac, a Coptic Christian, has led the organization to bring together Christians, Islamists, liberals, conservatives, nationalists, communists and secularists to create a popular front that calls for a stop to a fifth term-extension for Mubarak as President and a prevention of inheritance to Gamal.
Martial laws have restricted demonstrations, but in spite of this, Kifaya started to organize protests. Some of which involved casualties and arrests. Recently, Kifaya changed its name to Haraka Masriya Min Agl El Tagh’yeer, which means “Egyptian movement for change and reform” in Arabic.
Elections in Palestine and Iraq, international pressure and frustrations of ruling under Mubarak resulted in an amendment of the Egyptian Constitution as of May 2005.
Many Egyptians say the amendment will not have an effect due to the full control of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party on major media outlets and the lack of experience of his competitors.
The Nasseri Party, named after President Nasser, and Rif’aat al-Sa’eed, the head of the largest progressive Tagammu Party, has boycotted the elections. Both parties claim that the elections are a joke and lack credibility.
Issac has criticized the stand of Pope Shnouda in encouraging Egypt’s Christian community to vote for Mubarak. Isaac argues that the church should not involve itself in politics.
It is Issac’s opinion and the opinion of many that a fifth six-year term for Mubarak will change nothing for the average Egyptian regardless of religious faith.
In recent events, the Mubarak government banned political activities of the Egyptian Labor Party. The government claims terroristic activity has been perputuated by the group. In doing so, it left the Muslim Brotherhood Party as the most prominent opposition.
However, their status for the upcoming elections are still in doubt as the current amendment and the previous constitution have been banning the party from participating in Egyptian politics since 1954.
Currently, the Muslim Brotherhood has members in the Egyptian Parliament only through independent representatives. As of today, the Muslim Brotherhood has not endorsed any of the candidates, but their leader, Mohammad Akef, has been vocal in encouraging the Egyptian people to go to the polls and practice their full constitutional right to vote regardless of their political or religious backgrounds.
Many wonder what kind of effect the opposition can have?
Some believe the major challengers to Mubarak may come from Ayman Noor, the head of the newly liberal Ghad Party “Tomorrow” in Arabic and Noaman Gomaa, the head of old time nationalist party al-Wafd that led the resistance in 1919 against the British occupation.
Noor has tried to convince the Muslim Brotherhood to encourage its followers to use their voices to vote for his party and was the only candidate that United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with during her recent visit to Egypt.
Analysts, though, believe that the followers of the Muslim Brotherhood probably will give their votes to the more center al-Wafd Party.
Egyptian state-run television declined Gomaa from giving a live statement about his views. He then tried to do so on the privately-owned Dream TV, the same TV station Mubarak used to broadcast his agenda to the people, but was denied.
Mubarak, Noor and Gomaa are promoting themselves to attract votes. Gomaa talks about ending emergency laws, bringing Egypt back to its people and promoting its role in the Arab, Muslim and international arenas.
Al-Wafd is using the word Et’khana’ana “we are dying” as its slogan in the campaign.
Meanwhile, Noor promises to guarantee three meals per day for every poor Egyptian citizen and Mubarak is promising the creation of new 700,000 new jobs in his first year of re-election and to free all political prisoners.
Critics wonder how Noor will deliver on his meal promises, how Gomaa will fulfill his promises, and will Mubarak create those jobs and why hasn’t he freed the prisoners already?
In other news, the Egyptian government has rejected calls of critics of the elcetion process to have international advisors to monitor the elections. This has raised uneasiness in Egyptian circles on the fairness of the elections.
The Presidential Electoral Commission currently has approved the nine candidates after 250 members of the Parliament had endorsed them. The ruling NDP dominates the Parliament. Thirteen thousand officials will monitor the elections, but 8,000 magistrates have warned that they will boycott the election if the commission turns an eye on its fairness.
Gomaa believes that Egypt does not need foreign observers. He believes that the Egyptians themselves are most familiar with the manipulations of the current regime and therefore will be the best protectors of the process.
Besides the Egyptian citizens, a group of human rights’ activists have founded an organization that also will monitor any fraud that may take place in the voting process.
They call themselves Shay’fen’kom, which means “we are watching you” in Arabic. They started their activities by launching a website and distributing flyers.
To comment about this story or contact the author, please visit World Internet News' public forum section.
For further reading on this story, please go to:
http://www.harakamasria.net/english1.asp?id=15
http://misrdigital.blogspirit.com/files/coverage/abdeen14jul05.htm
© Copyright World Internet News 2006-07
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