Is Democracy coming to Egypt after decades of dictatorship ? Will the Military keep its promise of handing over power ?

Nine months after a historical revolution in Egypt, millions of Egyptians went to the streets to vote for the Egyptian parliamentary elections. More than 4,000 candidates from 40 parties competed for the elections. Independent candidates were running for one-third of parliament's 498 seats, and two-thirds of seats were reserved for winning party lists. To make easier for the voters, "each candidate and party has a symbol to help people identify them on the ballot papers: a key, a butterfly, an apple, a mango, a knife, a fork, a screwdriver, a megaphone, an electric blender, a camera, a motorcycle, a car, a ship, a train, a firetruck, a light bulb, a chandelier, a lighthouse, a lantern, a sunflower, a gold bar, a basketball hoop, a football, a cactus, a guitar, a violin, a ruby." Wendell Steavenson's blog in the New Yorker is a great source of information.

Although multiple rounds of voting will continue for weeks, everyone knows who is the winner: The Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood re-branded itself as the Justice and Freedom Party ( following the Turkish model), and has fielded thousands of candidates. The central question on everyone's mind is whether the military will keep its promise of handing over power should the Islamist parties win ?

Egypt's bicameral parliament comprises two legislative chambers: The People's Assembly with 498 members, 488 directly elected while the remaining 10 are appointed by the President for five-year term. The Shura Council has 264-members with 174 directly elected and the 88 appointed by the President for six-year terms. The Council's legislative powers are limited, the Assembly has the last word on all legislative actions. Presidential elections are scheduled for in 2012.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WSj: Syria Would Cut Iran Military Tie, Opposition Head Says .

According to Jay Solomon and Nour Malas of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the head of the Syrian opposition Burhan Ghalioun and the president of the Syrian National Council, a post Assad Syria will have a very different foreign policy approach. The most significant change will occur in relations with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. Damascus would "military relationship to Iran and end arms supplies to Middle East militant groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas." WSj: Syria Would Cut Iran Military Tie, Opposition Head Says . Wall Street Journal DECEMBER 2, 2011. JAY SOLOMON and NOUR MALAS PARIS—A Syrian government run by the country’s main opposition group would cut Damascus’s military relationship to Iran and end arms supplies to Middle East militant groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, the group’s leader said, raising the prospect of a dramatic realignment of powers at the region’s core. Burhan Ghalioun, the president of the Syrian National Council, said such moves...
Read more

Israel's Iran strategy--US Embassy Cable- August 17, 2010 Cable

In this US Embassy Cable dated August 17, 2010, Undersecretary of State Nick Burns meets with Mossad chief Meir Dagan and discusses the Israeli perspective on a range of Middle East issues including Iran's nuclear ambition. According to the cable, Dagan mentions five pillars to Israel's Iran strategy: “Political Approach,” “Covert Measure,” “Counter-proliferation,” “Sanctions,” and “Force Regime Change.” Immediately following the conversation on this issue, there is line that states “Dagan and the Under Secretary agreed not to discuss this approach in the larger group setting.” In light of what has been happening in Iran, it is useful to re-visit this Cable to see how thestrategy outlined in this document has been implemented. US embassy cables: Israel grateful for US support Friday, 31 August 2007, 12:45 S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 05 TEL AVIV 002652 SIPDIS SIPDIS EO 12958 DECL: 08/24/2017 TAGS PREL, PTER, MARR, MASS, KNNP, UNSC, PK, IR, IZ, ZP">ZP, JO, ...
Read more

Majid: Why America Matters to Muslims

Anouar Majid, the author of Islam and America: Building a Future Without Prejudice , and a professor at University of New England ( Maine) has a very good piece on why America matters to Muslims. Why America Matters to Muslims http://www.juancole.com/ One thing that is striking about the recent revolts in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain is the absence of any anti-American slogans or denunciations of the Great Satan, as the Iranian regime refers to Uncle Sam. On the contrary: signs of pro-American sensibilities abound. Democracy protesters carried homemade placards displaying slogans and statements (sometimes translated into French) of fundamental American rights. The United States’ republican culture, founded in the late eighteenth century, and given a brief burst of energy during the early days of the Obama administration, walked side by side with the protesters. President Obama expressed support for the demonstrators, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ...
Read more