Free choice as Egypt votes for new president
Source: Agencies |
May 24, 2012, Thursday
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MORE than 15 months after Hosni Mubarak was deposed, Egyptians streamed to polling stations yesterday to freely choose a president for the first time in generations.
Waiting hours in line, some debated to the last minute over their vote in a historic election pitting old government figures against ascending Islamists.
A sense of amazement at having a choice in the Arab world's first truly competitive presidential election pervaded the crowds in line.
So did the fervent expectation over where a new leader will take a country that has been in turmoil since its ruler of nearly 30 years was toppled by mass protests.
"I might die in a matter of months, so I came for my children, so they can live," a tearful Medhat Ibrahim, 58, who suffers from cancer, said as he waited to vote. "We want to live better, like human beings."
Some backed Mubarak-era veterans, believing they can bring stability after months of rising crime, a crumbling economy and bloody riots. Others were horrified by the thought, believing the "feloul" - or "remnants" of the regime - will keep Egypt locked in dictatorship and thwart democracy.
Islamists, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, saw their chance to lead a country where they were repressed for decades and to implement their version of Islamic law.
A field of 13 candidates is running in the voting which continues today. The two-day first run is not expected to produce an outright winner, so a runoff between the top two will be held on June 16-17. The winner will be announced on June 21.
An Islamist victory will likely mean a greater emphasis on religion in government. The Muslim Brotherhood, which already dominates parliament, says it won't mimic Saudi Arabia and force women to wear veils or implement harsh punishments such as amputations. But it says it does want to implement a more moderate version of Islamic law.
Many of the candidates have called for amendments in Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel, which remains deeply unpopular.
The candidates from the Mubarak's government - and, ironically, the Brotherhood, which has already held multiple talks with US officials - are most likely to maintain the alliance with the United States.
The main Islamist contenders are Mohammed Morsi of the powerful Brotherhood and Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, a moderate Islamist whose inclusive platform has won him the support of some liberals, leftists and minority Christians.
The two secular front-runners are both veterans of Mubarak's government - former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq and former foreign minister Amr Moussa.
The election comes less than two weeks before a verdict is due on Mubarak, 84, who has been on trial on charges of complicity in the killing of some 900 protesters during the uprising.
Waiting hours in line, some debated to the last minute over their vote in a historic election pitting old government figures against ascending Islamists.
A sense of amazement at having a choice in the Arab world's first truly competitive presidential election pervaded the crowds in line.
So did the fervent expectation over where a new leader will take a country that has been in turmoil since its ruler of nearly 30 years was toppled by mass protests.
"I might die in a matter of months, so I came for my children, so they can live," a tearful Medhat Ibrahim, 58, who suffers from cancer, said as he waited to vote. "We want to live better, like human beings."
Some backed Mubarak-era veterans, believing they can bring stability after months of rising crime, a crumbling economy and bloody riots. Others were horrified by the thought, believing the "feloul" - or "remnants" of the regime - will keep Egypt locked in dictatorship and thwart democracy.
Islamists, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, saw their chance to lead a country where they were repressed for decades and to implement their version of Islamic law.
A field of 13 candidates is running in the voting which continues today. The two-day first run is not expected to produce an outright winner, so a runoff between the top two will be held on June 16-17. The winner will be announced on June 21.
An Islamist victory will likely mean a greater emphasis on religion in government. The Muslim Brotherhood, which already dominates parliament, says it won't mimic Saudi Arabia and force women to wear veils or implement harsh punishments such as amputations. But it says it does want to implement a more moderate version of Islamic law.
Many of the candidates have called for amendments in Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel, which remains deeply unpopular.
The candidates from the Mubarak's government - and, ironically, the Brotherhood, which has already held multiple talks with US officials - are most likely to maintain the alliance with the United States.
The main Islamist contenders are Mohammed Morsi of the powerful Brotherhood and Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, a moderate Islamist whose inclusive platform has won him the support of some liberals, leftists and minority Christians.
The two secular front-runners are both veterans of Mubarak's government - former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq and former foreign minister Amr Moussa.
The election comes less than two weeks before a verdict is due on Mubarak, 84, who has been on trial on charges of complicity in the killing of some 900 protesters during the uprising.
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