The Egyptian presidential campaign has officially ended. All campaigning by the 10 candidates has been stopped for the last two days up until voting day on Wednesday. While the campaign might have concluded, what has been set in motion has not.
A new dynamic has begun. The process of participation has been activated, not merely for this election but beyond. While most people believe President Hosni Mubarak is in a strong position to claim a fifth six-year term, the evidence is everywhere that the times are nonetheless changing. These are the first genuinely competitive presidential election in Egypt’s history. The campaign has led to a vibrant public debate that has observed few political taboos. Debates and rallies conducted in a climate of freedom and excitement astonished the Egyptians themselves.
The candidates who have enjoyed such freedoms are aspiring to the highest office in the land. As such, in the race to collect as many votes as possible, many made extravagant promises that may or may not be kept. The new political climate allowed them to make pledges, but many are unrealistic, and many aroused a good deal of skepticism as to whether the words can actually become reality and whether the candidates will be able to keep all their promises.
It is not clear if this will prove an obstacle in luring Egypt’s silent majority into abandoning its long-standing apathy. Popular participation in the poll is a concern. The question is how many Egyptians will go to the 9,737 polling stations. Voter turnout is essential to the success or failure of an election, especially one that is being touted as the first step on the road to democratic change. National TV has broadcast appeals for people to cast their votes “so that their dreams and aspirations may come true.”
In the end it might not matter who Egyptians vote for; the important thing is that they make themselves heard and believe that their vote will make a difference. This election has allowed citizens to feel that they are part and parcel of the decision-making process and that their say has weight and is being taken seriously. On several occasions, including in his State of the Union address, President Bush commented on Egypt’s reforms, declaring he looked forward to seeing the Egyptian elections conducted “in accordance with the highest democratic standards so that the Egyptian experiment could serve as a model for the entire region.”
Egyptians share the same sentiments and ambitions and can now do something about fulfilling them. They now have the ultimate say in setting the course for their future because they will be choosing the president who will lead them for the next six years. They have a responsibility no less than that on the candidate who wins. Mubarak did his part when he asked in February for the constitution to be amended so that multicandidate elections could be held. On Sept. 7, the Egyptian people are being asked to do their part.
