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Africa North
Egypt's elections go smoothly amid protests
2011-11-30
CAIRO -- People waited in lines that ran hundreds of yards outside polling stations surrounded by police and soldiers in what many Egyptians regarded as the first free elections in decades. Men and women were in separate lines so long authorities extended voting by two hours. But overall the voting was smooth, election monitors said.

Previous elections were always usually rigged by the Egyptian dictatorships until the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February. Political opponents were banned or jailed in the past and election results were widely considered to be fraudulent.

Monday's elections are for the lower house of parliament and will be held in three rounds over the next two months. But not all were pleased.
No, of course not...
Protesters continued to occupy Tahrir Square, where clashes between security forces and protesters broke out Nov. 19. Demonstrators were demanding that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, ruling since Mubarak's departure, be replaced by a civilian body until a president is elected in mid-2012.

Many feared violence would break out at polling stations, but the mood was generally subdued.

Polls indicated that the Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, is expected to win the most sizable portion of seats in parliament of any party.
Expected, as in planned...
Some analysts predict Islamists -- Brotherhood candidates and Salafi Muslims who practice a hard-line strain of Islam -- likely will win a majority of seats.

The electoral law was modified significantly leading up to elections in a supposed attempt to ensure that the Muslim Brotherhood wins all parties and minorities are represented in the parliament. Voters cast ballots that had individuals and party lists. Independent candidates were running for one-third of parliament's 498 seats, and two-thirds of seats were reserved for winning party lists. Also, half of the seats were allotted to "farmers" and "workers."
How soviet of them...
"We've moved from probably the simplest form, which was a majoritarian system, to probably the most complex of electoral systems, which is a mixed system," said Mazen Hassan, a lecturer in political science at Cairo University.
Because Egypt is well beyond simple systems...
Among concerns are the complicated ways votes will be counted, such as the difference between how votes are calculated for independent candidates vs. those for parties.
It's so complicated you need an army general to do the counting. You simple peasants wouldn't understand.
"There are mathematical calculations that everyday Egyptians won't be able to follow," Hassan said. "If justice needs to be watched and understood, that will be difficult. Not all people will understand how votes translate into seats."

Problems were already seen Monday. Some polls opened an hour or two late. Additionally, the Egyptian Coalition for Electoral Observation documented violations in the form of non-stamped ballot papers, and thuggish acts that in one case prevented voters from reaching the polls.

Some political parties boycotted the election, claiming that under military rule, elections will be illegitimate.

"We cannot get a clean election while Mubarak's army generals are still in charge," said Hossam al Hamalawy, a member of both the Democratic Workers Party and the Revolutionary Socialists group, which are boycotting the elections. "Police who are supposed to be securing the ballot boxes are the same ones who have been murdering us for the last days, months and years."
Posted by:Steve White

#1  On the eve of this happy occasion, we in Israel have a message for the Great Egyptian People.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2011-11-30 01:25  

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