Egyptian Election Test

[Ideologue]

See, you can hug with nuclear arms.

[Malthus]

The real Egyptian election test will be whether Egypt has elections. 

[MadImmortalMan]

Odd results. I don't know why it's matching some of these parties at the bottom of my list so low.

[Sheilbh]

Odd results. I don't know why it's matching some of these parties at the bottom of my list so low.

My guess is that they're NDP/SCAF shells.  So they're all down with female heads of state but also entirely behind, say, military trials, no civilian minister of defence, no civilian oversight of police and that sort of thing.

The real Egyptian election test will be whether Egypt has elections.

I think they'll get this Parliamentary election in a couple of weeks.  Though it won't be as positive as the Tunisians (they've fucked up on so much).  The mismanagement by the SCAF has been extraordinary. 

To give an example they got an election law.  That law made it illegal for Egyptian citizens not in Egypt to vote.  They were welcome to register to vote in Egypt and return for that purpose but they were not allowed to vote if they were out of Egypt.  A case reached the High Court about this and it turns out that they'd also made it compulsory for all Egyptian citizens to vote, even if they were outside of Egypt, or face a £500 fine.

The next day the Administrative Court ruled that the SCAF had broken the law and couldn't restrict the rights of Egyptian citizens to vote.  They needed to make provision for Egyptians living abroad to vote, abroad.  That was decided I think four or five weeks before the date of the forthcoming election

[jimmy olsen]

Not looking good.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/19/egypt-violent-clashes-cairo-injured?newsfeed=true

Egypt: violent clashes in Cairo leave two dead and hundreds injured

Egyptian security forces open fire on thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square, leaving two dead and more than 600 injured


   Jack Shenker in Cairo
    guardian.co.uk, Saturday 19 November 2011 16.59 EST

Egypt has been hit by another wave of major violence ahead of parliamentary elections after security forces opened fire on thousands of protesters demonstrating against the military junta.

Two people were reported dead and more than 600 injured in central Cairo after riot police sent volleys of tear gas, rubber bullets and "birdshot" pellet cartridges into the crowds. The clashes put further pressure on the ruling generals and cast doubt on the ability of police to secure the poll, scheduled to begin on 28 November.

"All options are on the table, but right now – given the state Egypt is in – nobody can see how the military council can pull off these elections," said Mahmoud Salem, a prominent blogger who is running for parliament but who has now frozen his campaign. "I'm at the international eye hospital at the moment with my friend Malek Mustafa, who has been shot in the head by police with a pellet cartridge and looks likely to lose his eye. How can I continue?"

Mustafa was one of dozens of demonstrators left with serious head wounds during the police assault on Tahrir Square. Trouble began after riot police moved to disperse tents set up after a large rally calling on Egypt's Supreme Council of Armed Forces (Scaf) to return the country to civilian rule.

Protesters succeeded in driving the security forces from the square and captured one of their trucks. Crowds jumped up and down on the vehicle, chanting "The interior ministry are thugs" and calling for the downfall of Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the country's de facto leader since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in February. It was later set ablaze.

By mid-afternoon police had returned to Tahrir in far larger numbers and began firing from armoured vehicles. Pro-change activists sent out calls for solidarity and as darkness fell police and the protesters saw their ranks swell. As the night wore on and control of Tahrir shifted back and forth between the security forces and demonstrators, running battles spilled down side streets and along several of downtown Cairo's most important thoroughfares.

The Observer saw heavy fighting along Talaat Harb street, a key shopping district and one of the main roads running into Tahrir Square. Street lighting was cut and amid the gloom hundreds of protesters tore up paving stones to throw at police lines, sporadically falling back as clouds of tear gas filled the air.

"The scenes are reminiscent of the Friday of Anger," said journalist and pro-change activist Hossam el-Hamalawy, referring to 28 January, the day protesters beat Mubarak's security forces off the streets during the uprising against his regime. "We are being hit with showers of US-made tear gas canisters, and I've watched with my own eyes at least five people being struck by rubber bullets."

A military police car which at one point approached the centre of the unrest was chased away by protesters, another sign of public support for the junta apparently waning. "Ordinary people are making a stronger link than ever between Scaf and the hated troops of the interior ministry," added el-Hamalawy. "The police and Scaf are revealing their true colours with this brutal attack on Egyptians. They have succeeded in only one thing today, and that is mobilising even more of Egyptian society against them."

By late evening the number of demonstrators had grown to several thousand with the arrival of the ultras – hardcore fans of Cairo's main football teams, some of whom played a significant role in the anti-regime uprising earlier this year – and some Islamist political groups, forcing police units to fall back from Tahrir where protesters quickly built barricades and fires continued to burn.

The retreat marked a significant blow to the security forces, which over the past few months have generally avoided attacking large protests, preferring to wait instead until numbers dwindle and the remaining activists can be isolated and labelled as hardcore troublemakers. On Saturday that tactic appeared to have backfired, with the police assault provoking a strong public response.

"Considering the small numbers that we had this morning, it's amazing," said Hady Kamar, a 26 year old artist who was hit twice by rubber bullets, once in the foot and once in the head. "When things looked darkest and the police had pushed us out of Tahrir, we returned in huge numbers. To see this many on the street and feel this much energy, is special. Today it feels like the revolution is back up and running, but we'll see what tomorrow brings. It's always been a day by day struggle."

Reprising many of the slogans used during mass protests against Mubarak, demonstrators vented their anger at Scaf and chanted 'Here is the revolution, nothing else'.

Many expressed scepticism about the elections, saying they were designed to entrench military control over the country, but most insisted they still wanted the vote to go ahead. "The generals want to rule Egypt, but this is our revolution," said Ahmed Mohamed, a 24-year-old accountant. "Look around you – you don't see different political parties or rival candidates, you just see the Egyptian people. People have come down from their homes to join the fight; we are battling the remnants of Mubarak's regime who remain in power at the moment, and both this and the elections are all part of that same process."

Solidarity rallies also erupted in the large cities of Alexandria and Suez. Egypt's interior ministry claimed its forces had acted with restraint, and blamed protesters for escalating tensions so close the parliamentary vote.

On Friday a group of prominent intellectuals, including former UN nuclear weapons chief Mohamed ElBaradei, unveiled an alternative transition plan which would involve postponing the parliamentary ballot and wresting executive control of Egypt away from the armed forces whilst a new constitution is drawn up.

The ruling generals have yet to respond to the proposal.

[Siege]

Surprise!

[Sheilbh]

The violence at the protest's obviously very sad, but I think it's probably a good thing that the protests are back.  The SCAF has bungled a lot, at best.  But, generally speaking, whenever faced with protests they've pretty much conceded.  For example over their suggestions that there should be a constitutional clause that Parliament shouldn't have oversight of the defence budget.

Also important I think is that the Islamists got fully involved in this protest which is, I think, rather significant and positive.  If it was just the usual liberal 'youth' protesting I think this'd have less traction.

[Siege]

I really hope Egypt fails and they all starve to death.

[Ed Anger]

I really hope Egypt fails and they all starve to death.

[Solmyr]

Wait...question 2....do I support the revision of laws limiting women's right to divorce- does this mean I support revising the existing law which does limit this and changing it so there are no limits or do I support revising one so it becomes this?

If you click on the info button it is explained. Basically, currently women pretty much always get custody of children after divorce and the father's contact is limited, or something.

I got social democrats at the top, communists further down.

[Martinus]

I got 4 out of sheilbh's top 6 parties in my top 6 as well. It's worrying when the communists sound reasonable.

No kidding. It seems that not being an islamofascist (literally) makes you a commie in Egypt.

[Martinus]

Anyway, I'd vote for the party that doesn't want to kill gays. Any one?

[Slargos]

Anyway, I'd vote for the party that doesn't want to kill gays. Any one?

Thankfully, there are atleast SOME areas in which muslims are progressive.

[jimmy olsen]

22 Eyptians killed while demonstrating.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45383062/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/#.TsqiInJ9ZFF

[Ed Anger]