Egypt: U.S. Must Push Harder for Political Reform
December 3rd, 2010 by Evan
Ellen Bork, the Director of Democracy and Human Rights at the Foreign Policy Initiative, writes that the Obama administration, like those before it, has ignored Egypt’s democrats and bought the Egyptian argument that stability is more important than political reform. With the presidential transition on the horizon, Bork urges both the President and Congress to “should push harder for democratic reforms in their contacts with Egyptian leaders” and calls on the Senate to “only approve a new ambassador to Cairo who is committed to an energetic, principled American policy in support of a transition to democracy brought about by Egypt’s people.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid | Comment »
Egypt: EASD Releases Letter to HEC, Praises Court Decision
December 3rd, 2010 by Jason
The Egyptian Association for Supporting Democratic Development (EASD) has written a letter to the High Elections Commission (HEC) informing it that “over the course of Election Day most EASD observers were detained, expelled from, or denied access to polling stations. Others had their personal identification papers and cell phones seized and were threatened with arrest. All of these incidents undermine HEC decisions, weaken the performance of EASD observers in the field, and call into question the credibility of the monitoring process.” The EASD also released a statement praising the Administrative Court decision to allow observers and “urging” the HEC to take steps to rectify the abuses seen during the first round of voting prior to Sunday’s second round of voting.
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections | Comment »
Egypt: What Next for ElBaradei?
December 2nd, 2010 by Evan
The Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s Khairi Abaza has a new piece in The National Interest arguing that the Muslim Brotherhood’s and Wafd Party’s participation in the election was a blow to Mohamed ElBaradei’s credibility as an opposition leader. “By inducing both the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and the liberal Wafd Party not to boycott the elections, the Egyptian regime skillfully maneuvered ElBaradei onto the sidelines. The regime might have promised opposition parties some seats in parliament if they participated, and it likely threatened those that ignored its wishes with unpleasant reprisals—a delicate mixture of suasion and coercion,” Abaza writes. As frustration with the outcome of the election grows, there is still a chance that ElBaradei may be able to channel popular discontent into a potential presidential bid next year. “The real test for both ElBaradei and the regime is the Egyptian people. […] If Mr. ElBaradei can still lay claim to those disenfranchised masses, perhaps he’ll make a dent after all, and his candidacy may yet force the regime to loosen the reins.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Political Parties | Comment »
Egypt: State Department Says Election’s Failed Egyptian People
December 2nd, 2010 by Evan
In response to questions about Egypt’s parliamentary elections, State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley emphasized that fraud and violence threaten the legitimacy of the outcome in the eyes of the Egyptian people: “The real issue here is the relationship between Egypt and its own people and we believe that the election fell short of the expectations that the Egyptian people have for what they want to see in terms of an open political process, a chance to play a more – or a significant role in the future of their country, a chance to participate more fully in a political process.” In a separate statement, Crowley once again called on the Egyptian government to “meet the desires of the Egyptian people.” Crowley, however, downplayed the possibility that the U.S. would use aid as leverage to motivate Egypt to reform.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid | Comment »
Egypt: Freedom House, Human Rights First Statements
December 2nd, 2010 by Jason
Freedom House and Human Rights First have released statements criticizing Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Egypt. Daniel Calingaert, Deputy Director of Programs at Freedom House, called for the Egyptian government to “allow all candidates and their supporters to campaign freely, let media cover and comment on the elections without interference, and give both domestic and international groups full access to observe the election process.” Neil Hicks, Senior Policy Advisor for Human Rights First, draws attention to next years presidential election: “Egyptians deserve a freer, fairer, internationally-monitored election when it comes time to vote for president next year.” Human Rights First also has an article with embedded video interviews of Egyptian civil society activists, including Gamal Eid, Executive Director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections | Comment »
Egypt: Egypt’s Election a Critical Test for Obama’s Democracy Rhetoric
December 2nd, 2010 by Evan
In a new opinion piece, The Christian Science Monitor’s editorial board criticizes the Obama Administration for failing to make good on its rhetorical commitment to promoting democracy in Egypt. Instead, the White House has placed other short-term objectives ahead of encouraging long term stability through political reform. “If Obama wants repressed people to stand up for their freedom, he could do better at standing up for them,” the authors write.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid | Comment »
Egypt: “The Curtain is Up”
December 1st, 2010 by Jason
Khalil Al-Anani writes at the Daily News Egypt that “[t]he sole outcome of the recent Egyptian parliamentary elections is a powerless assembly.” Recalling events since the surprising success of the Muslim Brotherhood in the elections of 2005, along with the steps the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) has taken to neutralize the influence of the Brotherhood, Al-Anani says the message is clear: “no more politics for the MB.” Jack Shenker, who covered the elections for the Guardian, describes the experience as “surreal,” and calls the elections “a (not particularly artful) piece of stagecraft by Egypt’s political elite.” Both writers feel that the contentious elections are only a precursor to further unrest. Al-Anani concludes his article by saying “if the NDP has managed to eliminate the MB in the parliament, the real battle is still ongoing in the street, which, undoubtedly, will be fierce.” Shenker, who decries the support Western governments have shown for the current regime, says “[t]he curtain is up – and the drama has just begun.”
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood | Comment »
Egypt: MB, Wafd to Boycott Second Round of Elections
December 1st, 2010 by Evan
Egypt’s two largest opposition movements, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wafd Party, said they will
boycott the second round of parliamentary voting to protest massive government fraud during the first round. A Wafd party spokesperson
told Reuters that the party is also considering giving up the seats it won outright in the first round of the election.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties | Comment »
Egypt: Final Results of the First Round Announced
December 1st, 2010 by Jason
The final results of the first round of the Egyptian parliamentary elections have been announced. From Al Masry Al Youm: “Results announced Tuesday showed the ruling party has so far secured 209 seats. Opposition parties won seven seats–liberal Wafd (3), leftist Tagammu (1), the Moussa Moustafa faction of the Ghad party (1), Social Justice (1), and the Democratic Peace party (1). Seven independent candidates were also elected in parliament.” These results do not include seats that were not won outright (i.e. races where no one candidate was able to win 50% or more of the vote) in the first round. The second round of elections will be held Sunday, December 5th.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties | Comment »
Egypt: Judiciary Challenges HEC, NTRA Decisions
December 1st, 2010 by Evan
The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement (EACPE), a member of the Independent Coalition for Elections Monitoring, recently
released a statement on an administrative court ruling affirming the organization’s eligibility to monitor the election. In the run-up to the vote, the High Election Commission (HEC) rejected EACPE’s application, citing “security-related reasons.” In a separate ruling, a judge
struck down the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s decision to increase monitoring of SMS messaging ahead of the election. Meanwhile, Ghad Party leader
Wael Nawara documents government backlash against judges who do not toe the party line in a new piece at the Huffington Post.
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Judiciary | Comment »
Egypt: What Next for Egypt?
December 1st, 2010 by Evan
As the extent of NDP’s parliamentary victory becomes clear, a number of commentators parsed what it means for Egypt moving forward.
Michele Dunne, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment and editor of the Arab Reform Bulletin,
writes that the new parliament is “likely to enjoy little credibility either inside or outside the country” as a result of the blatant vote rigging across the country.
Issandr El Amrani suggests that the election results mark the rise of a new group of “plutocrats” who are intent on turning the government into their own personal “wealth creation mechanism.” And
Jano Charbel highlights growing concern from farmers that the parliamentarians elected to represent their interests will fail to do so.
Posted in Egypt, Elections | Comment »
Egypt: Reports on Vote Counting Procedures
December 1st, 2010 by Jason
The Egyptian Association for Supporting Democratic Development (EASD) and Nazra Association for Feminist Studies have released reports evaluating the vote counting procedures following Egypt’s parliamentary elections. The report from Nazra focuses on the process involved in counting votes for the women quota seats, which are a new feature of this years parliament, while the report from EASD quantifies the number of illegal incidents witnessed during and after the elections.
From the EASD report: “Out of 5,000 EASD observers, 903 (18.06%) were denied access to polling stations. Meanwhile, 348 observers (8.49% of those allowed to enter polling stations) were expelled from polling stations. […] Other violations included: 115 incidents of voter intimidation, 196 instances of vote buying and electoral bribes, 31 incidents of police blocking roads leading to polling stations, 181 incidents of ballot stuffing, 19 instances of stealing or destroying electoral material, 145 instances of closing polling stations during the day or before 7 p.m., 101 incidents of expelling observers, 233 incidents of electoral violence, 20 polling stations which never opened, and 225 instances of group voting.”
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Women | Comment »
Statement from the Working Group on Egypt
December 1st, 2010 by Jason
The Working Group on Egypt, a bipartisan group that includes POMED’s Executive Director Stephen McInerney, has released a statement criticizing the conduct of the Egyptian elections. “The Working Group on Egypt is deeply troubled by the irregularities observed before and during the parliamentary elections, which indicate that President Mubarak’s government remains resistant to domestic and international calls for reform. […] The Working Group urges the administration to develop a comprehensive strategy that will urge Egypt onto the path to free and fair elections, without which the next Egyptian president will lack the political legitimacy that is essential to maintaining domestic and regional stability.”
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: “Full-Blown, Unabashed Dictatorship”
November 30th, 2010 by Jason
Jack Shenker writes that early results from the Egyptian elections “suggest that the ruling National Democratic party (NDP) has captured 96% of the seats, while the 88 opposition members from the Muslim Brotherhood, could be erased to zero.” Shenker interviewed Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution for the article: “‘We knew it was going to be bad, but I don’t think anyone realised it was going to be this bad,’” Hamid said. “‘Egypt has joined the ranks of the world’s most autocratic countries. Now we’re talking full-blown, unabashed dictatorship.’”
Maggie Michael, reporting for the Associated Press, covers the reactions of Egyptian opposition groups to the election. The Wafd Party released a statement saying “‘The ruling party’s undemocratic practices … raped its legitimacy with its assault on the law and the constitution,’” while Mohammed Badie of the Muslim Brotherhood called the elections “‘invalid.’”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties | Comment »
Egypt: EU Parliament Urges Reform Ahead of Presidential Election
November 30th, 2010 by Evan
Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, called on Egyptian authorities to “relax the conditions for political participation,” and allow “dissenting voices” in the press to be heard. “A democratic Egypt is in the interests first and foremost of its citizens. For the EU a democratic Egypt is as important as a stable Egypt,” Buzek said, adding “if one claims that the time is not ripe for democracy, people might start thinking that the right time shall never arrive.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections | Comment »
Egypt: White House Says Egyptian Election Fell Short
November 30th, 2010 by Evan
The White House released a statement Tuesday expressing “disappointment” with the process of Egypt’s recent parliamentary election. National Security Council Spokesman Mike Hammer said that “numerous reported irregularities at the polls, the lack of international monitors and the many problems encountered by domestic monitors, and the restrictions on the basic freedoms of association, speech and press in the run-up to the elections are worrying.” Hammer also reiterated that the U.S. is committed to work with both the Egyptian government and civil society organizations to help the country achieve its “political, social, and economic aspirations.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections | Comment »
Egypt: U.S. “Dismayed” by Egyptian Election
November 30th, 2010 by Evan
On Monday, the U.S. State Department issued a statement criticizing Egypt’s parliamentary election. Widespread irregularities “call into question the fairness and transparency of the process,” State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley said, citing “election-day interference and intimidation by security forces” and crackdowns on opposition parties and independent media prior to the vote. “Egyptians will only have full confidence in their elections when the government is able to address existing flaws, and ensure full and transparent access by independent civil society monitors and candidate representatives to all phases of the electoral process.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections | Comment »
Egypt: NDP Looking Toward Presidential Election
November 29th, 2010 by Evan
The Economist writes that the Egyptian government’s administration of the parliamentary election was, as expected, clearly flawed. Moreover, the regime made little attempt to hide the rigging of the election. “The government was undeterred by images of such things as thugs intimidating voters with clubs and machetes, and election officials patiently filling in piles of blank ballots,” the author writes. The government’s willingness to blatantly rig the election is indicative of the importance the ruling party places on control of the parliament during the upcoming presidential transition: “Egypt’s rulers believe the country is at a crucial juncture. Mr Mubarak, now 82, must soon decide whether to run for a sixth six-year presidential term next September, or cede power to a new pharaoh. For the smoothest possible transition, he needs the tamest possible parliament.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections | Comment »
Egypt: Reactions to Egypt’s Elections
November 29th, 2010 by Jason
Steven A. Cook writes that “the overwhelming victory of the ruling National Democratic Party only reinforces the prevailing non-democratic status quo. At the same time, the conduct of the elections […] indicates the manifest weakness of the Egyptian state.” Cook goes on to say that thirty years of rule by Hosni Mubarak has been “marked” by an “almost total lack of a compelling vision or a set of ideological principles.” Tariq Alhomayed asks “Did election day honor Egypt, or humiliate it?” After noting the failures of democracy elsewhere in the Arab world Alhomayed says, “[n]ations are not honored by democracy, but by production, stability, and the preservation of human dignity.” Jamal Elshayyal relates the events of election night in Mahalla, where protesters were beaten when they gathered outside a stadium where votes were being counted, and says that “[w]hat makes these elections unique, is their rejection, en masse, of the status quo, and their collective chants for reform and change - regardless of which opposition party or candidate they support.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections | Comment »
Egypt: Nazra Releases Report on Female Participation
November 29th, 2010 by Jason
The Nazra Association for Feminist Studies, a member of the Independent Coalition for Election Observation, has released a report titled “The Gender Perspective in the 2010 Parliamentary Elections.” The report’s findings include “Female candidates, particularly those of the NDP, are guilty of the same violations (violence, fraudulent ballot cards) as male candidates,” and “The majority of women supported male candidates. The majority of those who supported female candidates were Muslim Brotherhood members.”
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Women | Comment »
