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![]() Previewing Egypt's Upcoming Elections
With the approach of the 2010 Egyptian parliamentary elections and 2011 presidential election, the opposition has been reinvigorated, especially since the arrival of former IAEA Chief Inspector Mohamed ElBaradei.
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Saturday, May 29,2010 09:32 | |||||||||
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The Carnegie Middle East Center’s Amr Hamzawy discussed the significance of upcoming elections and challenges facing the Egyptian opposition in the months ahead with Jeremy Sharp of the Congressional Research Service. Carnegie’s Michele Dunne moderated. The Legal EnvironmentHamzawy described the various laws and constitutional articles that will govern the upcoming elections:
Government ToolsThe government uses a number of methods in order to maintain political power while engaging in the election process, Hamzawy stated. In particular, the government has undertaken the following policies:
Informal oppositionHamzawy discussed the similarities and differences between the opposition movements before the 2005 elections and the movement currently taking shape in Egypt:
Muslim BrotherhoodIn the 2005 elections, the Muslim Brotherhood was viewed as the leading opposition group, Hamzawy said, but in the current phase the movement appears to be following other opposition groups rather than leading. In the intervening years, the Brotherhood has undergone significant regime repression as well as a leadership change. The Brotherhood will still contest elections (even for the Shura Council, where it has never won a seat) and is attempting to work with other opposition groups and harmonize their demands. Hamzawy believed that the Brothers will take a cautious policy toward ElBaradei, pledging support and criticizing him at the same time. ElBaradeiThe one significant difference between the 2005 elections and the current phase is the presence of ElBaradei, a figure above the fray behind whom many opposition groups can unite:
Egypt’s Election and the United StatesJeremy Sharp highlighted the improvement in Egyptian-U.S. governmental relations recently, parallel to an improvement in Egyptian-Israeli relations. This still matters a great deal in how U.S. decision makers, particularly in the Congress, view Egypt. In a discussion after the presentation, Amr Hamzawy responded to a question about what the United States can do to promote free elections in Egypt by noting that Washington should be able to support the demands now emerging from the Egyptian opposition: restoring judicial supervision, domestic and international monitoring, and opening up the presidential election to independent candidates. Resources |
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tags: Egyptian Parliamentary Elections / Egyptian Opposition / ElBaradei / Middle East / Opposition Parties / Political Reform / Emergency Law / Shura Council / Gaza / Copts / Egyptian Constitution / Judicial System / Moderate Muslim Brotherhood
Posted in Democracy , MB in International press |
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