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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 19 - 25 October 2000 Issue No. 504 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 19 - 25 October 2000 Issue No. 504
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Elections Palestine International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Travel Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Alexandria (Sidi Gaber and Al-Raml)
Poll tough on Islamists
Islamist candidates competing for seats in several Alexandria constituencies were having a rough time on election day, writes Amira Howeidy. A total of six candidates from the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood were running in Egypt's second-largest city: Mustafa Mohamed in Montazah; Jihan El-Halafawi and El-Muhamadi Sayed Ahmed in Al-Raml; Ali Abdel-Fattah in Sidi Gaber; and Hamdi Hassan and Hussein Mohamed in Mina Al-Bassal.In the hotly-contested constituency of Sidi Gaber, posters of Ali Abdel-Fattah were torn from every wall and lamppost leaving only traces of the yellow-coloured paper. Banners of Tareq Talaat, Abdel-Fattah's rival and son of construction tycoon Mustafa Talaat, dominate every street and side street. Al-Sayed Rashed, another strong candidate, rounds out the competition in Sidi Gaber.
Abdel-Fattah denounced Talaat's aggressive campaign, telling Al-Ahram Weekly that these were "the worst elections ever." In one violent incident at the Cleopatra School polling station, one of Abdel-Fattah's proxies was attacked by Tareq Talaat's brother, Hisham. The incident was confirmed to the Weekly by a judge observing the balloting, but state security officials in the station maintained that "there are no problems whatsoever."
It was clear that supporters who had come to cast their votes for Tareq Talaat were from his father's factory in Upper Egypt. They queued outside polling stations by the hundreds, but the public, for the most part, responded with apathy. Abdel-Fattah conceded that elections were fair inside the polling stations, because they are held under full judicial supervision. But he said that the "vicious" competition outside was making it impossible for him and other Islamist candidates to campaign or rally support. "Our supporters have seen how our proxies have been arrested. They are afraid of even voting for us, lest they get arrested as well," he lamented.
Arguably the most contentious constituency in the Alexandria polls was that of Al-Raml, where Muslim Brotherhood candidate Jihan Al-Halafawi and her lawyers have proclaimed Wednesday's poll to be illegal. The claim was backed up by an Alexandria administrative court ruling issued Tuesday declaring the Al-Raml constituency election unconstitutional. But neither statement bothered the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) candidates much. The election went ahead as planned, with El-Halafawi running against NDP candidate Sami El-Guindi and Muslim Brotherhood colleague Muhamedi Sayed-Ahmed running against Gomaa El-Gharabawi.
El-Halafawi's husband, Ibrahim El-Zaafarani, is a leading Brotherhood figure and assistant secretary-general to the Alexandria Doctors' Syndicate. El-Zaafarani was arrested two weeks ago, and according to the Muslim Brotherhood, more than 80 supporters have been arrested in Alexandria so far. The 17 proxies of the Brotherhood's candidates were all arrested on 15 October, the same day they registered their names for the electoral mission. When their lawyer went to inquire on the arrests, he too was arrested, claimed Hassan Sobhi, El-Halafawi's lawyer.
El-Halafawi and Sayed Ahmed presented a legal appeal urging the Alexandria administrative court to issue a verdict cancelling the elections in the Al-Raml. When they won the court order, Sobhi tried to present the ruling to the chairman of the Alexandria judicial committee, but the latter was not available. The ruling, therefore, could not be implemented.
"The court based its verdict on the fact that the situation in the Al-Raml constituency was against both El-Halafawi and Sayed Ahmed," said Sobhi. Until the Weekly went to print, a number of the candidates' lawyers were still waiting for a verdict to cancel the election. The NDP candidates are expected to contest the court's verdict, but "If they contest it, so shall we," retorted Sobhi.
In the 10th of Ramadan polling station in Al-Raml, two women wearing khemar (a strict Islamic outfit that covers the face) tried to vote for El-Halafawi, but they were denied access to the polling stations. Security forces standing outside the station denied them entry because they had no voting cards, but one of the women remarked, "I think that they would not let me in because it is obvious from my Islamic outfit that I will vote for El-Halafawi."
ORDERLY POLL: Judicial supervision ensured calm and orderly polling, but the ruling NDP seemed set to sweep the first stage of the election. Clockwise from top left: women voters queue at a rural constituency; the NDP's El-Shazli casts his ballot; voting under judicial eyes; a smiling Wali is already assured a seat in parliament; Shazli supporters make hoopla
(photos: Salah Ibrahim, Abdel-Hamid Eid; Amr Gamal; Khaled El-Fiqi)
The voter turnout by 1.00pm was evidently low, with a handful of people in each of the polling stations. Farhat Tantawi, a 35-year-old minibus driver scowled, "I have never voted -- and I never will, because we know the results in advance." Another taxi driver concurred, saying that no one is interested in the elections because "the powerful always get their way." According to some voters, some candidates had to pay their way into the ballot boxes.
Ibrahim Mohamed Shaaban, 45, a worker in a local supermarket, said he was upset to see some of the candidates in Alexandria distributing bags of sugar. Others claimed that supporters of Tareq Talaat were engaged in the business of vote-buying.
Alexandria -- (other constituencies)
Little chance for women
The elections in Alexandria were a subdued affair, writes Gamal Essam El-Din, notwithstanding the presence of security forces at the 11 main polling stations. The judiciary were present, as required by law, and the governor of Alexandria Mohamed Abdel-Salam El-Mahgoub toured the city.Some candidates tried to organise demonstrations, but they were prevented from doing so by security forces.
Women candidates seem to have had little chance in Alexandria. Mariam Mustafa, a professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Alexandria, and NDP candidate for Bab Sharq, faced strong competition from Adel Eid, a lawyer. Eid's supporters distributed a large number of leaflets highlighting Eid's anti-Sadat stances in the Parliament of 1976 at the main polling stations and at the Bab Sharq Police Station.
In Attarin district, Widad Shalabi, official NDP candidate for the workers' seat, faces stiff competition from the Wafd candidate Omar Barakat. In an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, Barakat said he stood a great chance of winning because of his excellent performance in the previous People's Assembly and his objections to government policies. But with two Nasserite candidates, Kamal Ahmed and Abdel-Moniem Ismail, also contesting the workers' seats in Attarin, the signs are that there will be a run-off next week. As for the professional seats, Ahmed Khairi, NDP's Alexandria secretary-general, is expected to win Attarin in the first round.
Karmouz was characterised by a high level of violence. The Tagammu candidate for the workers' seat, Abul-Ezz El-Hariri, said judicial supervision had been a reality, despite the fact that some of his delegates were prevented from entering several polling stations. El-Hariri is facing competition from the NDP candidate Ahmed Mar'i and independent Abbas El-Sayed.
In the district of Ghorbal, the NDP's Coptic candidate Esmat Nathan is competing for the professional seat against Al-Wafd journalist Ahmed Hamed. Nathan is highly popular among the workers of contracting companies, and the promotional leaflets he distributed were careful to highlight his efforts to beautify Alexandria and build a large mosque in the Ghorbal district.
The worker's seat for Ghorbal is being contested by the Nasserist candidate Mohamed El-Badrashini and the independent George Gabra. El-Badrashini told the Weekly that he believed his chances were good, claiming that his failure in 1995 was the result of malpractice in election procedure.
The Manshia and Gomrok district witnessed the withdrawal of excluded NDP member Mustafa Kowieder, who opted instead to support the official NDP candidate Yussri Amin for the professional seat. Amin is the former senior assistant to the minister of interior and is expected to win the first round. He is supported by the majority of merchants in the commercial district.
Samir Abdel-Aziz Hosni, a government employee and brother of Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, is vying for the workers' seat.
In Sidi Gaber, Talaat Mustafa, NDP candidate for the professional seat, toured a number of streets and especially the poor district of Nadi El-Seid, where he was joined by Sayed Rashed, NDP worker candidate and secretary-general of the General Federation of Trade Unions.
The nine Coptic candidates, with the exception of the only NDP Coptic candidate Esmat Nathan, do not look like having much chance of winning. The same applies to the 21 Wafd Party candidates, with the exception of Omar Barakat.
Run-off elections are expected in eight of the 11 districts.
Menounfiya
Services and jobs take the vote
In the town of Bagour, 55km north of Cairo, there is hardly any competition facing Cabinet Minister and Deputy Secretary-General of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Kamal El-Shazli, writes Khaled Dawoud. Signs and pictures proclaiming support for the man who has been a deputy in all of Egypt's parliaments since 1964 could be seen as far as several kilometres outside Bagour's entrance. In the town itself, nearly every shop was playing a song especially composed for Shazli by the popular singer Hakim. "Go ahead o Kamal El-Shazli, go ahead. You are our beloved, you are the light of our parliament," croons Hakim to a catchy tune.In Bagour's main square stood a large portrait of El-Shazli, who is running for the professional's seat, alongside one of President Hosni Mubarak.
Despite his huge popularity, El-Shazli had taken the election battle very seriously. He held more than 40 election rallies over the last two weeks alone. In contrast to the 1995 elections, he faced seven contenders. Previously, Wafd Party candidate Mohamed Kamel had also stood in the same constituency. However, as a consequence of improving relations between the government and the opposition Wafd Party, the latter decided not to nominate Kamel this time round. He nevertheless insisted on running as an independent, although there was not a single banner displayed in favour of Kamel or any of the other six candidates running against El-Shazli.
Polling stations, meanwhile, were overcrowded from the early morning. "We love El-Shazli. He has done a lot for us and provided nearly all the services we need," said one of hundreds of voters who stood inside a school where voting was taking place. Hakim's song was also playing, while men danced and women ululated.
Shafiq Shahin, running alongside El-Shazli for the workers seat, is also very popular in Bagour. The question, again, is not so much whether he will be successful, but what percentage he will garner. Due to new electoral directives that reduced the number of polling stations and provided for full judicial supervision of each one, voters at Bagour said that casting their ballots had taken longer than usual.
Meanwhile, judges supervising the elections here were strict. They allowed only voters inside the polling station. Police stood outside, but did not intervene in any way.
In the nearby town of Menouf, the largest constituency in Menoufiya governorate, competition was far more heated. Ahmed Ezz, a business tycoon, is running on the NDP ticket against Ibrahim Kamel, a businessman running as an independent. The latter is the brother of Mohamed running against El-Shazli in Bagour.
Ibrahim Kamel had a fierce battle in 1995 against the then NDP's candidate, Helmi El-Rabie, but lost in the first round. This time he seems to be doing better, despite the strong support the NDP is giving to Ezz. Ibrahim was born in the village of Sirs Al-Layan in Menoufiya, while Ezz is an outsider born in Sharqiya governorate. However, Ezz has influence in Menoufia as he has opened several factories at Sadat City, which employ hundreds of young men from Menoufia.
"Ibrahim Kamel is the son of our village and that is why I will vote for him. He has been with us during the past 12 years," said Said El-Rawani, a government employee.
Abdu Hossam El-Din, 23, voting for the first time, agreed that Ibrahim Kamel was a good man. "But I will vote for Ezz," he continued, "because he can get me a job. If he did not give me a job in one of his factories he will use his contacts to get us jobs elsewhere."
Shafiq El-Ganzouri is running with Ezz on the NDP ticket for the workers' seat. Yet his chances are not good, despite the fact that he was the constituency's deputy during the last parliament. "We never saw him after he was elected. Many people here do not like him now -- even his family nominated his cousin to run against him," Hossam El-Din said.
While Ezz and Ibrahim Kamel might have to compete in a second round, El-Ganzouri's chances are weak. Most voters who spoke to the Weekly said they would vote for his cousin, Raafat El-Ganzouri.
Port Said
Seaside passion
The election atmosphere in Port Said was markedly different from what it was in the past, writes Mona El-Nahhas. Electoral banners were literally everywhere, and many cars in the city displayed photographs of favoured candidates. The representatives of all candidates were assured that polling stations had not witnessed any irregularities.
As elsewhere in the country, candidates' supporters -- including those of the National Democratic Party (NDP) -- were forbidden from entering all polling stations. Instead, they gathered outside them to distribute flyers. Despite all the strict measures taken to ensure free and fair elections, some violations were reported, including vote-buying.
In Port Said governorate, 43 candidates in three main constituencies competed for six seats (three allocated for workers and farmers and three for professionals). The contest was particularly heated in Al-Manakh and Port Fouad. Al-Dawahi constituency, however, was very quiet.
Candidates representing opposition parties focused in their electoral programmes on the major problems from which the city suffers, such as unemployment, housing and economic recession.
In the constituency of Port Fouad, El-Badri Farghali was expected to take the workers' seat. Farghali, nominated by the leftist Tagammu party, enjoys wide support amongst the people of Port Said, who seem to appreciate their veteran MP's flambouyant style and often fierce opposition at the People's Assembly during previous parliamentary sessions.
Farghali, who comes from a working-class background, even managed to get his NDP rival Abu Bakr El-Seddiq disqualified, leaving the battle open for Farghali and Wafdist candidate, Seifeddin Mahmoud. El-Seddiq, a businessman, was not allowed to contest the seat after Farghali contested his classification as a worker before the judicial committee of appeals in Port Said. Farghali told Al-Ahram Weekly that he expects to win more than 95 per cent of the votes cast.
In the constituency of Al-Manakh, another NDP businessman, Abdel-Wahab Qouta was up against Wafdist journalist Mohamed Mustafa Sherdi for the professional seat. Qouta, member of parliament since 1966, is alleged to have managed to buy more than 15,000 votes.
Sherdi, son of former editor-in-chief of Al-Wafd newspaper Mustafa Sherdi, said that he had hoped that judicial supervision would have put an end to violence and corruption, the twin evils that plagued the 1995 elections.
Fayoum
A foregone conclusion
Voters stand in rows scrutinising the judge who has come to supervise the elections, writes Soha Abdelaty. Children in trucks chant slogans. Banners encourage the populace to go vote for Youssef Wali and Awatef Kahk. These are images from election-day in the Fayoum district of Ibshiway. Two out of six candidates running in the area, Youssef Wali, deputy prime minister and agriculture minister, and Awatef Kahk, a member of the National Council for Women, both are representatives of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). Ibshiway is composed of 10 constituencies representing 10 villages. The 143,000 registered voters cast their votes in 81 polling stations.
Most of the voters who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly were convinced that Wali, who ran unopposed, was the man for them, citing the paved roads as an example of the services he has brought into the villages, especially in Al-Nazla, his hometown village. Although the other villages do not get the same attention from Wali, "people vote for him because he is the only one they see in front of them," says Mahmoud Bayoumi, a resident of one of the neighbouring villages of Al-Nazla.
As for Kahk, people vote for her because she has been closely associated with Wali, says Dr Hamdi El-Sayed, a professor of the Faculty of Agriculture in Fayoum. "He is the son of our village," chanted the children wearing T-shirts that read, "Vote for Youssef Wali."
The introduction of a judge to their election committees seemed to also encourage many to vote this year. "I have always been a staunch member of the opposition; however, when I heard that judges would be supervising the elections, I decided to come and see for myself, and it seems to be for real," said one of the voters.
Furthermore, many of the voters who cast their votes were impressed by how organised the process was this time, and how free and fair it was. Their only complaint was that illiteracy was very common in their villages, and many of people could not go vote because "they have never held pens before, and cannot even vote by circling the symbols," complained Ahmed El-Rashidi, who has met many women from his village suffering from this problem.
However, the main criticism of the election came from the representatives of the independent candidates. Representatives of Ahmed El-Garhi claimed that these elections are no different from the previous ones, and that fraud is still taking place. "They would not allow us proxies so we can be present inside the committees to supervise the elections, they would not let us distribute propaganda pamphlets, and we have seen them place forged ballots in the boxes," protested one of El-Garhi's campaign managers.
Related stories:
A running clampdown 12 - 18 October 2000
The Brothers' last sigh? 5 - 11 October 2000
Brothers forward a new image, and a sister 31 August - 6 September 2000
See Elections 2000
