News Update: December 6, 2011

Egyptian woman votes

Voting for the 52 individual seats that were not decided in the first round continued for a second day on December 6. The second round of voting has brought out sharp divisions between rival Islamist parties, which are trading accusations of campaign violations. Twenty-four of the runoff races are between candidates from the Freedom and Justice Party and the Salafi Nour Party.

ELECTIONS: 

1) Voting for the 52 individual seats that were not decided in the first round continued for a second day on December 6. 24 of the races are between candidates from the Freedom and Justice Party and the Salafi Nour Party. The second round of voting has brought out sharp divisions between rival Islamist parties, as supporters of al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya attacked and chased away campaign workers from the Muslim Brotherhood outside of a polling station in Assiyut. Altercations were reported between Brotherhood and Nour supporters in Alexandria, as rival campaign workers competed to escort and drive voters to polling stations. Scattered reports of irregularities and campaign violations continue, and the High Electoral Commission has decided to reconduct the first round of elections in Cairo’s first district after the results were invalidated due to tampering with ballot boxes. [AP, English, 12/6/2011] [VOA, English, 12/6/2011] [al-Masry al-Youm, English, 12/6/2011] [al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 12/6/2011] 

2) As voting continued on December 6, head of the High Electoral Commission Abdel Moaz Ibrahim pledged to “disqualify any candidate using religious slogans” and urged local committees to report the names of candidates found engaging in campaign violations. Freedom and Justice Party supporters are accusing Salafis of using religious propaganda in Damietta. [al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 12/6/2011] [al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 12/6/2011] 

3) Anecdotal reports suggest that turnout in the runoff round has been lower than the first round, with the Freedom and Justice Party estimating turnout between 20 and 25 percent. The High Electoral Commission revised downward its original estimate of voter turnout for November 28-29, from 62 percent to 52 percent. HEC head Abdel Moaz Ibrahim said that the previously stated figure of 62 percent was mistake, saying he was “very tired” when he made the original announcement. He also blamed the discrepancy on mathematical errors by the commission’s staff. [The Telegraph, English, 12/6/2011] [Ikhwanweb, English, 12/6/2011] 

4) The Muslim Brotherhood threatened that its members “will take to the streets if there is any cheating in the elections or manipulation of the constitution,” Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie said. Badie also tried to assuage fears of an Islamist parliamentary majority, saying that the Brotherhood “does not want a monopoly on power” and pledging to work with other parties in a coalition. [AFP, English, 12/6/2011]

NEW CABINET: 

5) Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri is expected to announce the members of his new cabinet later in the day on December 6, with the swearing in ceremony planned for December 7. The new cabinet could include as many as twelve members of former Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s government. [al-Ahram, English, 12/6/2011] [al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 12/6/2011] 

U.S. POLICY: 

6) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on December 6 that Washington expects all "democratic actors" in Egypt to uphold universal human rights, including women’s rights, and to allow free religious practice. Clinton also called on Egypt’s military rulers to ensure that free and fair voting continues through the next election rounds and to "expeditiously" transfer "real authority" to a new civilian government. [VOA, English, 12/6/2011] 

TRANSITION TIMELINE: 

7) SCAF member and Central Command Chief Hassan al-Ruweiny reiterated Field Marshal Tantawi’s previous promise to hand over power to civilians by the end of June. Al-Ruweiny also urged the public not to judge the new cabinet before it has begun its work. He added that the matter of restructuring the Interior Ministry is an internal government concern. Kamal Ganzouri is expected to appoint a military officer as head of the Interior Ministry, but protesters have demanded that the ministry be radically overhauled and subject to civilian oversight. [al-Masry al-Youm, English, 12/6/2011] 

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES: 

8) A new poll by the National Centre for Social and Criminological Research showed that Amr Moussa is the leading presidential contender, with 23.2 percent of the vote, followed by the Nasserist Hamdeen Sabahy (5.8 percent); Islamist candidate Selim al-Awa (4.6 percent); former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq (4.5 percent), Ayman Nour (4.4 percent), and Mohamed ElBaradei (4 percent), followed by the Salafi candidate Hazem Abu Ismail with the least support. (al-Ahram, English, 12/6/2011] 

9) A prominent leader in the Salafi movement, Yasser Burhami, said that Coptic Christians should not have the right to run for political office in Egypt, and said he would only accept a Copt as president of Egypt if the US, Britain and Israel accept Muslim presidents of their countries. Burhami also said that Salafis would not allow members of Egypt’s Baha’I community to hold religious festivals if they come to power, and would also advocate reforms in the tourism industry such as gender-segregated beaches. [al-Ahram, English, 12/6/2011] 

ECONOMY: 

10 )Previously unpublished official statistics from 2010 reveal that six out of ten Egyptian households earn less than $277 per month. Meanwhile, a new survey by Egypt’s Information and Decision Support Center shows that only 40 percent of families believe their income is sufficient to cover their needs. While 20 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, Egypt has the largest number of billionaires in Africa, with 7 of the continent’s 40 richest people holding Egyptian citizenship. [al-Ahram, English, 12/5/2011] 

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Image: Egyptian%20woman%20votes.jpg