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Al-Ahram Weekly 30 Sep. - 6 Oct. 1999 Issue No. 449 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 30 Sep. - 6 Oct. 1999 Issue No. 449
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Taking part in the process
On a high spirited, but incident-free, Sunday, millions of Egyptians converged on thousands of polling stations nationwide to demonstrate support for Hosni Mubarak and confirm him as president for a fourth six-year term.Out of 18,957,893 voters who cast ballots, 17,554,856, or 93.79 per cent, said "yes", Interior Minister Habib El-Adli announced on Monday. Those who said "no" totalled 1,162,525, or 6.21 per cent, and voter turnout was 79.20 per cent, he added.
"The people's choice marks the rise of a new dawn and the election of the man who embodies patriotism and nationalism in their most sublime forms," El-Adli said.
The voters were led by Mubarak himself who, to the cheers of citizens, cast his ballot at a girls' school in suburban Heliopolis. The president was accompanied by his wife, Mrs Mubarak, and two sons -- Gamal and Alaa.
After the results were announced, Mubarak expressed his "sincere thanks and profound esteem for the Egyptian people who exercised their constitutional right of giving expression to their free will, reflecting keenness to take part in decision-making."
Mubarak said that this outpour of emotion should be channelled to serve ordinary citizens. He urged those who are financially capable to donate the value of advertisements, or any other form of expression of support for him, to finance housing projects for the less privileged.
Mubarak will take the constitutional oath on 5 October before a special People's Assembly session.
Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri, casting his ballot at a school in downtown Garden City, said, "The decision today [Sunday] rests with the Egyptian people who came out en masse throughout the country to offer thanks and express gratitude to the president and leader... There is nothing new in this because every Egyptian and every Arab is now aware that the sources of plenty on this good earth are now bearing fruit."
People's Assembly Speaker Fathi Sorour, voting in the working class district of Sayeda Zeinab, said: "We are looking forward, together with President Hosni Mubarak, to a new century, which will be the century of technology, information and the challenge of industrial globalisation. This requires the increase of production and the improvement of its quality in order to be competitive on the international market. Social development is also required."
"Social development" seemed to be high on many ordinary voters' minds as they talked to Al-Ahram Weekly at various polling stations across Greater Cairo. "If the president cannot help us, then no one can," said Amm Fathalla, sweat pouring down his brow, just before his turn came to cast the ballot at a polling station in the working class suburb of Helwan. "He has said that he is for the poor man, and I am poor."
Outside the Nasr primary school polling station where Amm Fathalla was casting his vote, the road was jammed with voters and company buses. And at the Gawhara coffee shop across the street, people waved pictures of the president and shouted: "Yes to Mubarak."
Inside, Sayed Dessouki was undergoing his first voting experience. "I'm a plumber and I don't have time to come and vote. But today is different, not because I think I can change what will happen, but because I think it is important to be a part of the process," he explained.
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE: Shortly before noon on Sunday, President Hosni Mubarak and his family cast their votes at a school near their home in suburban Heliopolis. Crowds holding banners, pictures and megaphones had begun lining the route from the president's house to the polling station two hours earlier, waiting for Mubarak's motorcade. Opposite the school, the enthusiastic throngs were allowed to stand across the narrow street from the main entrance to the balloting station, only metres away from where the motorcade would stop. Nonetheless, security was tighter than usual.
Wearing a navy blue suit, Mubarak, accompanied by Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, walked into the school at 11:15am, ascended the palatial stone stairs and cast his vote on camera. He was followed by his sons, Gamal and Alaa, and the latter's wife, Heidi.
Mubarak did not speak to the gathered representatives of the local and foreign media. He smiled warmly and waved. During the brief episode, which lasted barely a few minutes, the people outside cheered Mubarak, their voices rising to a crescendo when he appeared. "Welcome Mubarak, the people greet you," they enthusiastically chanted.
Mubarak's entourage also included Information Minister Safwat El-Sherif, Interior Minister Habib El-Adli and Cairo Governor Abdel-Rehim Shehata.
Hagg Abbas Ali Sayed overheard the conversation and, since he is a member of the Helwan municipal council, took it upon himself to elucidate this point further. "I came at 8.30 in the morning to cast my ballot. Saying 'yes' is my opinion, and why should it be strange? Why not look at all the major projects that were launched during President Hosni Mubarak's term? This is what we are voting for, in fact. As a member of the municipal council, I know that this is what my people need and want. More projects for better water, sewage and education."
Fathi Salem, a worker at a pharmaceutical company in Helwan, had his own reasons for voting for Mubarak. "Yes, we still have many problems," he said, "but we all know that nations are not built in a day, and if the projects of the president have helped others, they should help us, too, eventually. If I don't vote for him, he will still win a fourth term. But when I come to cast my ballot, I am informing him that 'I am here and I support you', and then he will take our needs into consideration."
"It is 12 noon and 90 per cent of the registered voters in our area have cast ballots already," said Mohamed Taha, head of the polling station. As he spoke, crowds were moving in and out of the five rooms to which voters are assigned according to alphabetical order.
Faith in the president's ability to provide a better future for workers was also highlighted across the city in the working class district of Shubra Al-Kheima, where the ruling National Democratic Party and trade unions were actively mobilising voters.
Some of the workers interviewed said they were given a half-day leave to be able to cast their ballot. "If it was up to me, I would cast my ballot 100 times to say 'yes' to Mubarak," said Mohamed Abdel-Alim, a worker at a textile factory.
"Long live Mubarak, habib el-omal" (the beloved of the workers), was one slogan repeatedly chanted by many workers who gathered in front of polling stations in Shubra Al-Kheima.
"Our factory now functions much better than before. There are new machines, we are provided with training and we are definitely producing more than before," said Khaled Gharib, a worker at a factory in nearby Mostorod. He added that schemes such as early retirement, allowing workers to buy shares in their companies and providing them with alternative training in the framework of the privatisation programme "are all proof of the care and priority Mubarak gives to the workers".
"Of course I voted for Mubarak because he protected our interests. He always said that not a single worker will be harmed by the privatisation programme. He even stood against the world institutions such as the IMF and World Bank which had wanted to fire thousands of workers, saying that the interests of the poor were above anything else," said Yehia Ali, a member of a factory's trade union.
In the upper middle class district of Heliopolis, where President Hosni Mubarak cast his own vote, Morsheda Ismail, an accountant, was making her way through the web of banners. She was pleasantly surprised, she said, to find that the polling station was not crowded. "I thought I was going to wait for hours before I could cast my vote," she added with a smile. Maha Selim, a middle-aged housewife, was grateful, too, because she did not want to be late for her house chores.
By noon, more voters arrived. Young and old, men and women from all walks of life made their way to polling booths to pick up ballots.
As the day progressed and the sun bore down, crackling loud speakers resonated with a popular song about the president. The lyrics serenaded, and many voters hummed the tune as they walked in and out of the various ballot stations. "This is very festive. I like this song a lot," said Karim, a young man who cast his vote with a group of friends.
Not every place was as relaxed.
In downtown Cairo, where banks, insurance companies and several government ministries are located, preparations to ensure a high turnout began in the early morning. Buses stood in front of the main buildings to transport voters to ballot stations in nearby schools.
"The fact that I go to bed now every night feeling safe and secure is enough reason to make me vote for Mubarak," said Mohsen Qassim, an employee at the Taxation Authority.
Another government employee, Khaled Abdel-Mohsen, added: "The president has done lots of things for us: just think of Toshka, the water which has reached Sinai for the first time and all these new industrial cities which were constructed in recent years. We have a hard-working president and we love him."
Not everyone was voting, however. Mohamed Ramadan, a 30-year-old student at the Faculty of Law was out window-shopping. "If I were to go, I would definitely say 'yes' to Mubarak. It's thanks to him that I can go home easier because of the underground. Some of my friends do not feel positive about the referendum but I think they're mistaken. We are living in an era of grand achievements and capital growth. It is thanks to Mubarak's encouragement of the private sector that we, the youth, can easily get jobs with high salaries."
Ahmed Hussein, owner of a shop for eyeglasses, argued: "We had to vote because it is our duty as citizens. We chose Mubarak, not only because of his achievements, but also because we don't know anyone else who can take his place. We have to admit that we are always apprehensive of change. We want to keep our president because we can't guarantee that someone else would be as efficient. It's the future of the whole nation that's at stake here."
As the day drew to a close, and after marking their ballots, voters returned home to watch on television what the rest of their compatriots were doing across the country.
Reported by staff
