The New Face of Egypt?

It has been a difficult week for Egyptians, concluded by Mohammed Morsi being officially declared as their next President. However, the identity of the president and his future plans for the country seem to be irrelevant after the events of the past week.

For the first time in the country's history, Egyptians experienced true democratic elections. Indeed, one must admit, the last two candidates for the presidency were not what the revolutionaries had dreamed of, but this is Democracy and the country gets what the majority votes for. If the citizens don't like the result, it can be changed in the next elections.

To Western eyes, voting for Mohammed Morsi is tantamount to choosing Islam, but this is not necessarily true. Egyptians suffered for decades under the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak – they are poor, unemployed and tired. The Muslim Brotherhood movement symbolizes the opposite of that mentality– they are socially active, they are ‘pure’ from corruption and they are considered to be non-violent and moderate.

The chaos started two days before the elections (June 14^th). The Egyptian Constitutional Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of the lower House of Parliament due to the illegality of its elections six months ago, as the Muslim Brotherhood candidates were elected for seats saved for Independent candidates.

A few days later the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which ruled the country after the fall of Mubarak, revealed that it will not hand over full authorities to the next president. President Morsi, therefore, will not be the supreme commander of the armed forces nor the police force. He will not have the authority to control the country’s budget nor to confirm appointment of the Constitutional Court’s new Head Judge. Furthermore, SCAF granted itself the right to dissolve and form another assembly if the parliament-appointed assembly fails to draft a constitution within six months of its formation.

Therefore, President Morsi might change the face of the cabinet, but has little other significance because all meaningful power remains in the hands of SCAF. Moreover, after the Supreme Court dissolved the parliament, Morsi lost his expected political advantage and must start from scratch. With no supportive parliament on his side, a hostile SCAF tying his hands and an angry movement at his back, he begins the first post-Mubarak presidency with high hopes and no tools to fulfill them.

For now, Egypt is celebrating its freedom of speech and democracy. The country is in transition and SCAF’s declaration, though it disturbingly bring to mind the dark days of Mubarak, is understandable due to the current situation in Egypt.

          SCAF, one should not forget, been considered the stabilizing factor in the country following the fall of Mubarak. Unlike other countries that were drawn into civil war after the fall of their dictator, SCAF safeguarded the country from deterioration until the implementation of the democratic elections. Indeed, as SCAF predicted that the choice between these two candidates would lead to enormous popular dissatisfaction; it must have felt the need to act. Is this action temporary or permanent? No one knows. Not even SCAF.

Sources: Egyptian press

The Devil I Know

Is the devil I know better than the devil I don't know? It is with this question in mind that Egyptians will vote this weekend (June 16-17) for their future president. They will choose between Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, and Ahmed Shafiq, the former Prime Minister who served under former President Hosni Mubarak.

The term “nightmare scenario” has been heard frequently over the last few weeks in the international media’s reporting of the upcoming Egyptian elections. But is it a really a “nightmare scenario?” Or is the current reality that the Egyptian public was used to the previous regime but dreamed of another, and now cannot handle the results?

If Ahmed Shafiq, a secular candidate, wins, he might return the country to the old dictatorship which presided over more than 30 years of injustice and corruption. After sacrificing hundreds of lives in the name of freedom from dictatorship, Egyptians expect to have control over their country. However, having Shafiq back in the saddle might not be a bad idea.

It should be noted, that though Ahmed Shafiq was Prime Minister during Hosni Mubarak's presidency, not one of his actions was taken freely. If he is elected for premiership, his voters hope that he will act differently. He might act for the Egyptian people. On the other hand, as old habits die hard, Shafiq might not change his ways. In essence, Shafiq could leave the people of Egypt behind, just as they had been before the revolution began. This is the devil they know.

 Mohammed Morsi, the "religious" candidate, stands in a different, more politically influential starting point in the election because his party, the "Freedom and Justice Party," is the majority party in the parliament (235 seats out of 508). Egypt has never been a theocracy, but does have a deeply-rooted religious-social network of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. This network could be used as infrastructure for religious governmental institutions if Morsi wins the elections.

The Muslim Brotherhood is not considered the most radical Islamist movement in Egypt today. That distinction belongs to the Al-Nour Salafist party, which holds 123 seats in the parliament. The young Egyptians who led the revolution wanted a government without corruption, and increased economic opportunity and welfare for the common citizen. The Muslim Brotherhood shares these goals in addition to their interest in promoting Islam as the cornerstone of society. But the revolutionaries want secular country. They want choice. And they are afraid that if Morsi is the one that is chosen, they would have no choice. This is the devil they don’t know.

Many of the revolutionaries claim they will not vote in this Presidential elections due to lack of revolutionary choices. They are desperate and confused. Their friends gave their lives to make the country they love a better place and they cannot complete their joint mission. Their desperation is understandable.

Yet, these young people have not taken into consideration that the country's wounds are too deep to heal quickly. The country and its citizens need years to recover from these wounds and build a brave democracy free from corruption. A Democracy that will be for the Egyptian people and by the Egyptian people. Maybe then will be the day that the common Egyptian could say that he knows his voice counts.