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| Egyptian man is casting his ballot in the 2011 parliamentary elections. |
However, those protest were much smaller than expected. Instead, there was a much higher turnout for the
elections than expected as seventy percent of the population decided to cast
their vote. Because of the high turnout, the polls had to be extended for two
hours in order for everyone to cast his vote. One of the other concerns was
that the vote might be compromised due to vote buying but this election seems
to have been fair. Dr. Magdy Abdel Hamid, head of the Egyptian Association for
Community Development, says in an interview with Aljazeera, “For the first
time, and in these elections, we have not seen a general will from the
government to forge and rig the election…".
That is not to
say that there were no setbacks. The elections were somewhat unorganized
causing a delay at some of the polling stations because there was no ballot
paper for the people or judges to preside over the elections. There were also
sporadic reports of violence at the polling stations. Overall, this election
process has been a success and military rulers are taking credit for it.
Since the fall of Mubarak, I think it is amazing about how far Egypt has come. In all honesty, I believe that Egypt will get better in handling their cycle. It will take time and practice to ensure efficient work. However, I wondering about the number of candidates who ran for this race. According to a paper that I saw, I read that approximately 600 candidates were running for this position. Don’t you find that to be frightening? Not to mention, how many of these candidates were from religious groups? Far right conservatives? Far right liberals? Moderates? Hopefully, in the years to come, the Egyptian Parliament would decided on a specific number of candidates who will be able to run.
ReplyDeleteWhen I looked into the Egyptian elections I came across a rule that sparked my interest. Abdel Moez Ahmed Ibrahim, head of Election Commission, said, "The Egyptian people participated enthusiastically at a rate which exceeded all expectations. Political activity on a religious basis is not allowed, nor is the use of logos or symbols in election propaganda of a religious nature." This resulted in a devastating blow for the mostly secular and liberal youth who drove the unrest. I also have to agree with Hayley that the fact that there were 600 candidates seems very unsettling.A system defiantly needs to be drafted up on chosen candidates and the amount there should be.
ReplyDeleteI think that the reason there were so many candidates is that there is a very real, very public interest in having a hand in Egypt's future - it seems like the natural outcome of a revolution caused by political disenfranchisement. The number of candidates will probably decline if an established political order comes into effect - established candidates (even if they're career politicians) at least have proven voting records and can be relied upon to vote in one way or another. On the other hand, the military still stands in the way. At this point, I think it can legitimately still go one of two ways - the first follows Turkey's slow path from heavy military influence to gradual civilian-dominated governance, the second is effectively a military dictatorship a la Burma (to 'protect' the people from themselves and a 'corrupt' government).
ReplyDeleteEven though the parliamentary elections of Egypt did not go smoothly, it should be applauded that at the end of the day the Egyptian people were successfully able to vote. In the coming years, when new elections come, the government will hopefully be more organized and prepared. Although there were speculations that the elections were a fraud, it is great to see that 70 percent of the Egyptian people chose to participate in the elections. It was also very clever that the formerly banned Muslim Brotherhood chose to rename their political group. It will be interesting to see what steps the Egyptian government will make in the future to continue to better their nation.
ReplyDeleteEven though the parliamentary elections of Egypt did not go smoothly, it should be applauded that at the end of the day the Egyptian people were successfully able to vote. In the coming years, when new elections come, the government will hopefully be more organized and prepared. Although there were speculations that the elections were a fraud, it is great to see that 70 percent of the Egyptian people chose to participate in the elections. It was also very clever that the formerly banned Muslim Brotherhood chose to rename their political group. It will be interesting to see what steps the Egyptian government will make in the future to continue to better their nation.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great step for the development of a new Egypt. I do have no problem with the minor incidents that occurred in this election. In all, the people were able to vote in(what seemed to be) a fair election. This is not to say, however, that one should overlook the flaws that occurred in this election. Riots leading to forty two deaths over concern of the elections legitimacy is not something to overlook. Egypt, however, is fairly new to this process and the good thing is that the riots were less than expected. I hope to see progress in future elections that further advance this push for a new era in Egypt.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing new democratic nations hold their first election. The speculation of rigging by government officials is to be expected, I mean it’s not like it hasn’t happened in the United States, word to Richard Nixon. The fact that rioting was less than expected and voter turn -out was more than expected shows that the interim military rulers are doing a good job of moderating and keeping the transition as smooth as possible. It will be interesting to see whether the Muslim Brotherhood will be able to regain favor and assume positions of power. It is not unlikely seeing as that they seasoned Egyptian political veterans.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a tad bit critical to assume there would not be any minor issues during the parliamentary elections of Egypt. Being a new to this whole democracy thing, I think the Egyptian government did a fantastic job in regulating and monitoring this crucial election. Like Nicholas said, the fact that the Egyptian people rioted way less they were predicted to, and the election had to actually be extended due to the phenomenal voter turn-out, is not something to be ignored. However, the fact that forty-two people were killed in anti-military riots is a bit much. Hopefully in the elections to come, these riots will become less prevalent.
ReplyDeleteIt’s exciting to see Egypt hold their first election in decades; now knowing that this is the first election to happen, it is unrealistic to believe that these elections would occur without some sort of set back. Hey, we’ve been holding elections for how long, and we get it wrong sometimes too. Riots are to be expected but the fact that the interim military government was able to control these riots is amazing. Also, Egypt had a 70 percent voter turnout! The United States wishes that 70 percent of the population voted in presidential elections. I’ve very excited to see what the future has in store for Egypt.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that 70 percent of the Egyptian population voted for this election didnt surprise me much because I have been following the news when the Egyptian people were trying to
ReplyDeleteoverthrow the regime of Hosani Mubarak and it clearly showed that the Egyptians were not happy with the state of their goverment and wanted drastic reforms. It is quite interesting to know from Hayley's comment that there were 600 candidates running for the position of the President. Hopefully the President elected is one who would be able to run a stabilized central government and also adhere to the public's wishes and represent them properly. And hopefully step by step Egypt will become a better government and the strong influence of military power will also decrease if the elected President and the new government will set regulations and policies to stop from another dictator like regime of Hosani Mubarak's from occuring.
I believe that Egypt is a very progressive country, so I knew voting is a huge part of their government. Also, after coming from an uprising, it makes sense that people are trying to see a change in the political system. I believe that the seventy percent of citizens who voted will make the right decision and elect a capable and fair leader. This is hopefully the end of a terrible political era. The goal of all overthrowings and uprisings are to establish a fair (even democratic) system, and this is what Egypt has now. I think this is very interesting because it proves that uprisings really do make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThe steps that Egypt has and is taking to advance themselves politically are impressive. The hardest time for any nation is after an uprising from its people. The faith that the Egyptian people have is shown in the number of voters that came out. These citizens clearly see the need for change and it is refreshing to see them being actively involved in the progression of their country. The goal is to create and fair political system and I believe that Egypt is not only taking the right steps, but have a vast support system in doing so.
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