Egyptian Elections and Current Political Climate in Egypt
A budding democracy in action or not? For the first time in generations, if not recorded history, Egypt attempted its revolutionary reform through ‘fair’ non-coerced political elections. But the results, according to ongoing protests, are far from satisfactory. Rather than alleviating dissatisfaction with the ruling powers, the results chivied a divisive knife into the Egyptian populace. Several candidates presented themselves to the people. Liberals, Conservatives, Independents who refused party ties, and in the background sits the SCAF [Egypt’s current military regime]. The people spoke, or did they? Election results startled a large percentage of the population.
Mohammed Morsy and Ahmed Shafiq, the two candidates left standing, represent everything the revolutionaries struck against. Morsy, the candidate put forward by the Muslim Brotherhood, and Shafiq, Mubarak’s puppet president put in just prior to the old regime’s stepping down, received more votes than all the other’s running for presidential office. Why? Morsy represents the religiously conservative Brotherhood, the party which initially declared its intention not to put itself forward with a presidential candidate. Morsy’s victory strikes a degree of fear into the core of more liberal Egyptians in addition to the minority Coptic Christian population. In many ways a dark horse as far as policies are concerned, the fear is what radical changes will he wring throughout the country? How uncomfortable will Egypt become for those in the minority or for the most vocal revolutionaries? Will they suffer at the hands of the Brotherhood for their part in bringing down a corrupt thirty year dictatorial regime?
Ahmed Shafiq on the other hand worries most Egyptians, especially those most ardent revolutionaries. Shafiq represents the worst of Egypt; he stands for the man who put him in office, the man now now sentenced to life imprisonment, Hosni Mubarak. The country is uncomfortable supporting a man who represents what brought Egypt to its knees, but this may be their fate if in the upcoming run-off election, Shafiq wins the presidency. Did the majority of Egyptians really vote for him or was it some unfortunate fluke which has brought Shafiq to this position? Opinions vary. Some say it was a fair election, other say that those who actually voted didn’t really understand the voting process, and there are those who contend that they refused to vote until the government rewrote the constitution. Whatever the reasons, at the outset, protest s in Cairo and Alexandria broke out over the two candidates left standing.
Two issues arise, the first is the final stage in the election process, and the other is the effect of the verdict against Mubarak and members of his old regime, including his two sons, Alaa and Gamal will have on the populace. First, how are Egyptians handling their disappointment at this first round in the elections? Politically: not well; emotionally: disturbed and confused at the outcome. Acquittal of both Mubarak’s sons and also the former dictator’s ministers polarizes the country even more than it has been in recent months. In other words, confusion reigns throughout the country, however, in the midst of this confusion, it is still relatively safe in Egypt. Walk the streets, visit the shops, go to the markets, tourist destinations, and talk to the people, no problem. It’s the immense poverty that strikes at the heart, the unhealthy conditions in which the people live, the lack of sanitation, adequate housing, and certainly dearth of jobs, and obvious starvation concerns most Egyptians. They hope for the best, they pray for relief, now they have the opportunity to elect in the final run-off election who they wish to run their country, however, do the political leaders have the courage to face the old regime?
Second, an important chain reaction now sets in over the rather disappointing verdict against the old regime members. Acquittal for all, including Mubarak’s sons, and the life-sentences proscribed against Adli – Mubarak’s interior minister – and Mubarak himself. Couched in these sentences the deeper meaning appears. These men were not convicted of murder or corruption, but merely for not intervening when the revolutionaries were being murdered. The court saw fit to dismiss any charges of murder and/or corruption against the defendants. It remains to be seen what the national and international reactions will be when the reality of these decisions sets in. The relative safety of Egypt may also change, yet to date, other than the obvious demonstrations in Tahrir Square, it has not changed.
Revolution marked a new beginning for Egypt on the surface, but within, trouble remains. Perhaps the inadequacy of today’s court verdicts will awaken the population, at least to the point that they will not elect Shafiq to the office of president. Keep the old regime out of the limelight, hope that real change looms on Egypt’s horizon. As the presiding judge said in his verdict reading Egypt was once the greatest of all civilizations, one to which all others looked for inspiration, but today, Egypt’s greatness is buried under its rubble and decades of corruption. It is time for real change. In the end, however, the beauty, majesty of Egypt’s past still beckons the traveler, don’t allow the surface foment to dampen adventurous spirits for which the present political climate remains just that, an Egyptian foment which will be decided by the people of Egypt and cannot change the lure of Egypt’s mysterious past and beauty and which the people, the real Egyptians, wish to share.
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