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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 Oct. - 1 Nov. 2000 Issue No. 505 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 Oct. - 1 Nov. 2000 Issue No. 505
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Palestine International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Second act, same drama
By Gamal Essam El-DinThe first stage of parliamentary elections, organised on 18 October with a run-off round last Tuesday, yielded some surprises. The second stage, beginning on Sunday, is likely to do the same.
It spans nine governorates: Daqahliya, Sharqiya, Gharbiya, Kafr Al-Sheikh, Damietta, Northern Sinai, Southern Sinai, the Red Sea and Aswan. Run-off elections will be organised on 4 November.
In line with a ruling by the Supreme Constitutional Court last July, 76 vote-counting and 5,031 polling stations will be under the complete supervision of 6,420 members of the judicial authority.
In Sunday's battle, a total of 1,388 candidates (compared to 1,262 in the first stage and out of a total 4,116) running in 67 constituencies, will compete for 134 parliamentary seats. The third stage, scheduled for 8 November, will witness competition for the remaining 160 seats in eight governorates.
In the second stage, the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) fielded 134 candidates and the largest opposition party, the liberal Wafd, 57. The leftist Tagammu and Nasserist parties fielded 13 and 10 candidates respectively, and the Liberal Party, 10. Moreover, some 28 candidates belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood will run as independents. The vast majority of candidates, 1,273, are independents, including 664 NDP members running on their own because the ruling party decided not to nominate them.
The most significant feature of the second stage is that it includes a large number of women candidates, 44 compared to 30 in the first stage, and a small number of Copts, four, compared to 25 in the first stage.
The predictions are that the opposition and independents may win between 20 and 34 parliamentary seats.
"Politics versus business" battles will dominate a large number of constituencies. The prediction that the NDP may lose as many as 34 seats is due to two factors. While the number of opposition candidates in the first stage was relatively large, many of them were new faces and their chances of success were not so high. In the second stage, opposition candidates are fewer but many of them are veteran parliamentarians who scored successes against NDP rivals in the past. The second factor is that NDP candidates will face in this stage some wealthy businessmen running as independents.
In the Delta governorate of Daqahliya, 396 candidates are competing for 34 seats. The Daqahliya is a 100 per cent agricultural governorate and this explains why most candidates either belong to large land-owning families or businessmen involved in agricultural activities.
The Aga district is a case in point. In this agro-industrial area, Ra'afat Seif, the candidate of the leftist Tagammu Party and a department head at the Daqahliya education department, will face the NDP's Abdel-Fattah Diab, a major importer of agricultural machinery.
In Nabarouh district, Fouad Badrawi, the Wafd Party's candidate and a member of the outgoing parliament, will challenge the NDP's Tawfiq Okasha. Badrawi belongs to a land-owning family primarily involved in the trade of cotton.
In Atmida district, Abdel-Rahman Baraka, NDP candidate and a member of the outgoing People's Assembly, will face his traditional foe Mortada Mansour. Baraka is the general manager of the Misr Romania Bank while Mortada is a pre-eminent lawyer and board member of the Zamalek Sporting Club.
In Mansoura city, Mahmoud El-Sherif, NDP candidate and a former Local Administration Minister, will face an uphill battle against businessman Gamal El-Gazzar, who is involved in food production activities.
A "politics versus politics" battle will rage in Minyet Al-Nasr. Mohamed Moussa, NDP candidate and chairman of the outgoing parliament's Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, is poised to face cut-throat competition from Ahmed El-Hefni, a former chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court. Two hopefuls fielded by the Wafd Party, Ahmed El-Hadidi, and the Tagammu, Moheb El-Mikkawi, will pour additional fire on the fierce battle. All in all, eight candidates of the Muslim Brotherhood, 14 Wafdists and five Tagammu members will be involved in the battle. There are also eight women candidates.
In Sharqiya governorate, 223 candidates are competing for 28 seats. The parliamentary choices in this governorate are primarily governed by business interests and tribal considerations. The Abaza family is a glaring example. In El-Tillin district, Maher Abaza, NDP candidate and former minister of electricity, will face agriculture businessman Khairi Balat. Abaza is now chairman of a private oil refining company. Ahmed Abaza, NDP candidate in Abu Hammad district and a relative of Maher Abaza, will face the Muslim Brotherhood's El-Sayed Hozayen. The immunity of Ahmed Abaza was dropped in 1995 so that he might be questioned in connection with a shooting incident.
In Diarb Negm, Mustafa El-Said, NDP candidate and a former economy minister, will face independent businessman Talaat El-Seweidi. The latter is a leading importer of electric cables. In El-Qanayat, Tareq El-Guindi, NDP candidate and secretary-general of Sharqiya governorate, will face independent businessman Mohamed El-Salhi. The two are involved in agricultural and poultry production activities.
In Faqous, Salah El-Tarouti, NDP candidate and chairman of the outgoing parliament's Culture, Information and Tourism Committee, will face independent businessman Samih Abdoun, whose father was a veteran parliamentarian until his seat was taken by El-Tarouti in 1971. Farid Ismail, a Muslim Brotherhood candidate, and Wafdist Amr Ahmed Zeid, will also add fuel to the Faqous fire. In Sharqiya, there are eight candidates for the Brotherhood and eight women candidates.
In Gharbiya governorate, 236 candidates are competing for 26 seats. El-Gharbiya is primarily an industrial governorate and this explains the large number of candidates competing for the workers' seats. In Al-Santa district, a fierce battle is expected between the NDP's businessman Hossameddin Awad and veteran parliamentarian Tawfiq Zaghlul, a former chairman of a public sector company for the production of soap and edible oil. In 1994, when he was an MP, Zaghlul was accused of corruption, but he was cleared of the charge three years later.
In Quotour district, independent Fikri El-Gazzar, a veteran parliamentarian, will run against the Brotherhood's Ali Labn and the NDP's Mohamed El-Hashash. In Tanta, NDP businessman Amin Hamad will run against independent Ibrahim Awara, the Brotherhood's Mohamed El-Azabawi and Wafdist Osama El-Bahrawi. In Berma district, NDP candidate and chairman of Egyptian Radio Hamdi El-Konayessi will face Wafdist Mustafa El-Babli. In Nahtai, the NDP's Mahmoud Abu-Zeid, minister of irrigation, will face four independent candidates. In Gharbiya, there are 10 candidates for the Brotherhood, 10 Wafdists, eight women candidates and three Copts.
In Kafr Al-Sheikh governorate, 249 candidates are competing for 18 seats. In Al-Hamoul district, Nasserist journalist Hamdeen Sabahi will run against the NDP's Ahmed Si'ida. The two had run against each other in 1995, and Sabahi claimed then that the results were rigged in favour of Si'ida. In Kafr Al-Sheikh city, a battle is expected between independent Mohamed Awad Ebeid and the NDP's woman candidate Fardous El-Awden. Ebeid had been dismissed from NDP ranks for "shameful" conduct while he was a member of the outgoing Assembly. In Kafr Al-Sheikh, there are 10 Wafdists, eight women candidates, one Copt and no Brotherhood candidates.
In Damietta, 71 candidates are competing for eight seats. In Faraskour district, a fierce battle is expected to rage between three Nasserist-oriented candidates. Diaeddin Dawoud, chairman of the Arab Nasserist Party, will run against independent Mohamed Khalil Qiwita. Qiwita, a former NDP deputy with Nasserist tendencies, had objected to privatisation policies in the outgoing Assembly. This triggered the wrath of the NDP and Qiwita was excluded from the party's list of candidates. Qiwita responded with a resignation letter in which he "regretted" that he was once an NDP member. A third hopeful is Mohamed El-Abbasi, the NDP candidate and son of a former parliamentarian with Nasserist tendencies.
In Kafr Saad district, Samir Zaher, NDP candidate and a former chairman of the Egyptian Football Federation, will run against business tycoon Rifaat El-Gamil. In Damietta, there are two candidates for the Brotherhood, five Wafdists, one Tagammu member, one woman candidate and no Copts.
In the two governorates of Northern and Southern Sinai, 81 candidates are competing for 10 seats. Voting in the two governorates is primarily governed by tribal considerations. The candidates include three Wafdists and seven women.
In the governorates of the Red Sea and Aswan, 139 candidates are competing for 10 seats. Tribal considerations are also paramount there. The candidates include four women, one Copt and four Wafdists.
Related stories:
Tougher times for the NDP
Election surprises defy pundits
See Elections 2000
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