Egyptians vote in presidential elections between resignation and fear

Egyptian presidential advertised around Cairo with a huge signage that, although it is well diverse revealed from day one who has everything to gain in the voting on Monday and Tuesday. Almost all banners, signs and posters in the capital of Egypt show only the candidate Abdel Fatah to Sisi.

Next to Tahrir Square, the scene of mass protests against the previous two presidents in 2011 and 2013, a large poster presents the frenzied traffic in suits, ties and civil smile. This is the Al Sisi political paper that took two months to stand for election. Other banners displayed, however, the general and then quarterback who rose in the Egyptian tradition supporter of the military coup, ten months ago. Al Sisi then deposed Islamist Mohamed Morsi, the only democratically elected president in Egypt. After banned organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, before calling elections on Monday and Tuesday.

The democratic experience in 2012 ended with a crackdown that has resulted in a chain of death sentences to members and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. With the main outlawed and jailed opposition, the election date is almost a mere plebiscite to confirm that Al is President Sisi. Authorities acknowledged the alternative candidate of the leftist Hamdin Sabbahi to avoid it.

The young politician Omar Belal Sunday gave an accurate picture of the Egyptian electoral process. Milita in the Party Constitution since he founded in 2012 Mohammed al Baradei and vote for Sabbahi, “because the party so ordered.” But Omar he “loves Al Sisi ” and sees no contradiction in this. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood ” are not all criminals,” but the mass prosecutions were ” necessary in this emergency.” Believes that many of the tens of thousands of prisoners ” will come [ release ] after the elections “, when ” things cool down.” At 24, Omar has participated in protests that overthrew Hosni Mubarak and the prelude to the 2013 coup against Islamists. Seeing how your partner away his backpack a cockroach wandering in the cafe where had all this, Omar rose to the rescue to settle the issue of a stamp. “Egypt,” he said with a big smile.

Not that easy to find critics of Al Sisi between the minarets of Old Cairo. Neighbors such as Ahmed Hassan, who on Sunday was guarding the entrance to a mosque, remember that after all born in the area 59 years ago. Here, Hasan said, “we need stability.” He complains that there is no tourism. After the splendid facades of Al- Muizz Street, just a few college photographed Sunday rafters solemn yards Mamluk mosques. The appearance of a stranger was an event for school, hardly compensate for the loss of income by the collapse of tourism, also a victim of repression and violence.

“Al Sisi ” abounds squatting Shaban Said sweeper with the views of Hassan, “is a straight man who will not betray us.” Said Hassan told with open palm “see? Al Sisi understands the simple people.” Both vote for him, like Saad Nasar, a grandmother of 59 who left the noon prayer in a mosque. His pro- coup reviews attracted a curious crowd that gave reason with enthusiasm. “A great man, Al Sisi ” said one. The crowd nodded. A dozen emphatic voters struggled to extol Al Sisi ” a devout Muslim,” “a good leader”, ” military “.

The educated youth are the most critical. Taking tea in one of the recesses of the citadel, the twentysomething Esraa Kamal Sunday combined a traditional Islamic attire with absolute self-confidence to fail the current situation: “All dead, all the suffering… All for nothing.” He feels, he said, “as if these three years” of riots and blood ” did not exist “. Her friend Youma Youssef, sitting in front of it with tea, smiling sadly. They believe that he has returned to stay a form of government, like Hosni Mubarak ” but even more ruthless.” Morsi did not vote in 2012. Now not vote.

Mohamed Nabil, militant youth protest movement April 6 veteran, has seen ” first hand how to spend the ” Egyptian with his critics. Several of its leaders are in jail. ” We have been outlawed with nonsensical arguments and false witness,” he laments, ” for espionage and other lies.” The April 6 Youth Stars protests since 2008 and was one of the agents of mobilization against Mubarak in 2011. In 2013, also against the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. Nabil Morsi blemish “liar and a traitor to the revolution” they made together against Mubarak. But now, he says, “We’re as bad as before.” Judicial power ” out of control ” and the institutions in which Mubarak based its power ” still dominated the country.” Judges sentence to death hundreds of people ” as if trying to win, ” the media” lie and invent ” and the Ministry of Interior and the military interfere in all public affairs.

Expert risk 32 denied having “no fear to tell the truth “, while smoking during a break from his work, in a courtyard next to a huge concrete skeleton that failed to become an apartment complex planned in 1995. wears sun burns himself since. Nabil told him and smiled, as everyone in Cairo where Egyptians describe the varied depths. It promises to resist and says he will not vote.

In some streets of Cairo ‘s tanks, armored vehicles and many other, everywhere, armed police and soldiers. Ahmed Aly, “militant Muslim Brotherhood for 12 years,” moves between them with no problems. He also smiled when listing: eight dead people in the past 10 months, 25 jailed five of them sentenced to 20 years. There are tens of thousands of people imprisoned for political offenses and hundreds of death row. The Muslim Brotherhood have borne the brunt of this crackdown, accused of terrorism and attempting to mount an Islamic dictatorship after his election victory in 2012. Aly, who is an engineer and worked for the government in 2012, denies the allegations and talk of deep corruption in all state establishments. The Brotherhood, predicts, ” will return to defeat the coup.”

Others, like the young Kamal, see no change. Between the laughter of her friends had these three years of unrest and tensions were as ” a roller coaster, very difficult climbs and brutal falls that have not brought to Egypt where he was a bad place.”

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Posted by Khalil Khan on May 27 2014. Filed under Middle East. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.