Cairo, Egypt Joseph Mayton/The Media L – Two men sit at a Cairo café playing backgammon. Their conversation quickly turns to politics and this November’s parliamentary vote. One of the men, 63, remarks that Egyptians are “politically conscious, but politically inactive.” His playing partner nods in silent agreement.
Nasser Abdelhamid, a retired advertising salesman, is proof of this.
“What are we supposed to do if we all know what is to be done, but nobody is willing to take the risk? So the parties call for a boycott,” Abdelhamid tells The Media Line. He is referring to the boisterous calls from leading opposition parties and leaders, including Mohamed ElBaradei from the National Movement for Change and chairman of Al-Ghad party Ayman Nour.
Both leaders have called on Egyptians to avoid the polls during the parliamentary elections, which, according to a well-informed source, will take place sometime in the last week of November. The government has yet to confirm a date.
The calls for boycott have been met with both support and criticism. Supporters of the boycott argue that there is no need to cast a ballot in Egyptian elections.
Former Al-Ghad party member Hamid Reda, for instance, has argued, “the government already knows who is going to win, so why should we participate in a sham.” Hamid said that “no matter what Egyptians do, and even if they were to go in and everyone voted against the NDP [the ruling National Democratic Party], nothing would change and we would be stuck with the same political system and people as we have always had.”
ElBaradei – whom earlier this year returned to Egypt with much pomp and vigor – is seen by many as the potential political saviour of Egyptian politics, but he too has called on his supporters to stay home for the vote.
He amplified the calls for an election boycott over Twitter.
“Total boycott of elections & signing petition R first steps 2 unmask sham ‘democracy.’ Participation wld be contrary to the national will,” wrote ElBaradei on Sept. 1 to his more than 10,000 followers.
Vast numbers of Egypt’s opposition agree with this stance on the elections.
“We have to remain strong and not succumb to something that will just give the government some kind of legitimacy, even if we know it is rigged,” said Ayman Nour in an email press statement.
Nonetheless, Nour’s Al-Ghad has said it will not stand in the way of party members running as independents in the election, which has left many wondering.
For Abdelhamid, he says his advertising background comes in handy in understanding the way the opposition sells this idea to the public without sounding contradictory.
“Most Egyptians understand why there is a boycott, but still the problem is the government, not the idea itself,” he began. “If they are going to sell this to the public, it has to be completely unified and justified. There can’t be people known to be a part of a political party or movement running as independents. Egyptians want solidarity, but too often we see that there is nothing to be done when one person or a few individuals go it alone and this is the problem.”
Abdelhamid argues that if the parties sitting in parliament were the only ones to contest the elections, it would lend the boycott less credibility within Egypt and with foreign governments.
On the other hand, the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic group whose members hold 88 seats in the current legislature, is against boycotting the elections. Muslim Brotherhood will field candidates in the upcoming elections, parliamentary bloc leader Saad al-Katatni said in a statement on Oct. 1. Although the party is “banned,” individuals associated with the party are permitted to run.
The Brotherhood has fallen into controversy lately. The group won a surprising number of seats in the 2005 vote, but since then has been nearly silent on calls for change. Although the group has ostensibly shown support for opposition movements in the country, notably ElBaradei’s National Movement for Change, they have more to lose by participating in the election.
The banned group, in order to field a candidate in next year’s presidential election, must secure a large number of seats in parliament. Only heads of political parties are currently allowed to run for president, but the People’s Assembly can approve a candidate. Therefore, the Brotherhood needs many votes.
“We understand why the opposition is calling for a boycott and support their reasons, but for us it is different because we already have a large presence in the parliament, so to boycott may not be the best course of action for the Brotherhood,” said Muslim Brotherhood member Tarek Hamza. He believes that unity is important, but “the opposition parties can already have a candidate for president. We can’t at this point, so the best way for the MB to get into making change is probably from within [the system].”
Despite this approach, Hamza agreed with opposition assertions that the election would be rigged.
“It is certain that the government won’t allow us to win as many seats this year, but is that reason enough not to try?” he said.
A top NDP leader, who was not authorized by the party to speak to the media, partially agreed with Hamza that if the opposition parties continue with the boycott, there would be no changes in the way politics are run in Egypt.
“Everyone can boycott, but what will this prove? Nothing. If we are to move forward on political plurality, there needs to be an effort by all sides to ensure a clean and fair election with as many different groups participating,” the NDP member said. “They will lose their chance to try and make things move differently by staying outside the system. There definitely needs to be change, but a boycott is not going to do this. It has been done before and without success.”
He said that the government is promising a clean vote. He added that although the opposition may claim otherwise, “they should at least give it a chance and have their leaders work with the NDP to ensure it is clean and fair.”
Whichever side Egyptians take in this debate, one thing is certain, said Abdelhamid.
“Egyptians are certain to be watching and waiting for the time when our voices are truly heard. Without a say in our country, more and more people are going to be angrier and angrier and this is not a good sign for Egypt’s future.”
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