All nations which aspire to a genuine democracy must have at the forefront free and fair elections. They must, of their choosing, elect representatives who will be of the people and for the people. Any country lacking a genuine ballot box can only pretend to be democratic. In the Middle East, pretenses are now being pushed aside for the real thing. We have seen unprecedented elections in Iraq and Palestine and nationwide municipal elections in the Kingdom. Now Egypt is also to be added to the list of countries participating in democracy in the Middle East.
President Hosni Mubarak’s call for the constitution to be changed in order to allow challengers on the ballot will mean that, for the first time in Egyptian history, more than one candidate can run in a presidential election. If the constitution is amended in time for the next presidential election, which is tentatively scheduled for October, then almost anyone will be able to stand in the elections and all citizens will vote by secret ballot. Any potential candidate must be a member of an official political party and win parliamentary endorsement. Anyone who can fulfill these two conditions can in theory and practice become president — and an amended constitution will guarantee that.
Under the current system, Parliament elects a single candidate for the presidency by a two-thirds majority and he is then put to a referendum. That there can now be more than one candidate instead of a “yes” or “no” plebiscite broadens the base of political participation. Much will be made of the timing of Mubarak’s announcement — that it comes at a time of domestic demand for more political liberties and increased pressure from the Bush administration, which has made bringing democracy to the region a major theme, as well as the arrest of a prominent political activist. Ayman Nour is being held on charges of falsifying documents in order to register his new liberal Tomorrow Party. If Nour committed fraud, justice should be served. If he did not, then he must be a free man. An Egyptian court should of course be allowed to decide. The law should be allowed to take its course. This is how any democracy works.
Calls in Egypt to accelerate democratic reform were made long before Mubarak’s announcement on Saturday. The secretary-general of the majority National Democratic Party, Safwat El-Sherif, has said there are no red lines when it comes to political and constitutional reform. Gamal Mubarak, the president’s son who flatly and publicly opposes hereditary succession, believes the constitution must be amended to reflect changes in society.
Hosni Mubarak simply added his name to the growing roster, describing his decision “a new era of political reform.” With 70 million people, Egypt is the most populous Arab country, a regional political and military heavyweight. It is a pioneer in making peace with Israel, in Islamic learning, the arts, literature, medicine, sports and entertainment. In his State of the Union address, Bush called on Egypt to lead the way in one more thing: Democratic change in the Middle East. And it is now doing so.
