Egypt votes

Turnout was reported to be high as Egyptians went to the polls on Monday in the first stage of parliamentary elections, now fraught with questions in the aftermath of lethal clashes between protesters and the ruling military junta that replaced long-time leader Hosni Mubarak at the country's helm.

Long lines were reported outside of polling stations, particularly where the start of voting had to be delayed due to administrative problems, such as ballots or supervising judges failing to arrive on time.

"We were surprised that people turned out to vote in large numbers, thank God," Abdel Moez Ibrahim, the head of the High Judicial Elections Commission, told the AFP news agency. "There were no reports of security troubles… that's what I was most worried about."

The vote comes a week after tens of thousands took to Tahrir Square in the capital, Cairo, last week, calling on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to immediately hand over power to a interim civilian government. The protesters faced a bloody crackdown by security forces that resulted in at least 42 deaths and 3,000 injured in the worst violence since Mubarak was deposed in February.

Military leaders rescheduled the presidential election for June - much earlier than originally planned - in a bid to reassure the demonstrators that the transition to civilian rule would be sped up. Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi insisted that the parliamentary election would continue on schedule.

Not only has violence overshadowed Egypt's historic election, but polls are fraught with a host of logistical problems for relatively new, often liberal, parties. Rana Gaber is a member of the Free Egyptians Party, which stands for social justice, equality for men and women as well as Muslims and Christians.

"How are we supposed to inform the people about our platform in such a short amount of time?" Gaber asked. "We don't have a chance."

Broad political spectrum

The poll, billed as the first free election in Egypt's history, will establish a parliament to draft a new constitution for the nation. Whoever makes it into the legislature will have a chance to help lay the foundations of a democratic Egypt.

"They [the elections] are an important direction setter and will reveal how the political demographics in the county actually look," Andreas Jacobs, the head of the political foundation Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung's office in Egypt, told Deutsche Welle.

Fifty-five parties and 15,000 candidates have registered to participate in the election, according to Egypt's highest election commission. There are moderate Islamic parties that want Egypt to become a civil state; socialists who want to nationalize the economy; neoliberals who preach free trade and equal rights; and Islamist hardliners who think thieves should have a finger cut off. In Egypt, virtually every political persuasion is on offer.

Complicated process

Although the vote began on Monday, Egypt must wait until April before the final results are tallied. The election has been organized in stages: Egyptians vote first for the lower house, the People's Assembly, in an extended process from November until January. Then elections are to be held for the upper house, the Shura Council.

Egyptians will not be submitting their ballots all on the same day as there are not enough judges to observe whether or not the votes are being tallied in conformity with the laws, according to Egyptian authorities. The elections are supposed to free, fair and objective - a rarity in Egypt.

Yet many Egyptians fear the military junta has intentionally drawn out the election over a long period of time in order to sabotage them. An election organized in stages over the course of several months presents more opportunities for violent clashes between activists and security forces. Some worry the military could send in thugs to stir up violence and then use that as an excuse to call off the election out of security concerns.

Whoever decides to vote will have to spend a long time reviewing very complicated elections laws. Ahmed Ismail, 26, has a degree in political science and had to spend a lot of time reviewing the laws in order to understand them in detail.

"How should a normal Egyptian understand that?" he asked

During the Mubarak era, Egyptians voted directly for individual candidates. Now, around two-thirds of the seats in the People's Assembly will be chosen through party lists, which are supposed to give newer parties a chance. Jacobs said the direct mandates favor above all "those loyal to Mubarak and the traditionally important families," who are still powerful in the rural regions.

No international observers

The military junta has decided not to let international election observers into the country. Egypt is a developed country and can take care of the polls itself, according to the military.

"It will at least be the most democratic election that Egypt has experienced in the past decades," said Jacobs. "The problem lies not so much in the voting itself, but in the organizing that was done in the run-up to the election."

He says some Egyptian voters can be convinced to vote for a certain party if they are given some rice, a little meat and Pepsi. In some areas, votes can be bought for as little as 50 Egyptian pounds (6.50 euros / $8.66), according to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

Muslim Brotherhood strong

According to polls, Islamic parties are likely to profit the most from these elections if they continue as scheduled. As the forbidden opposition during the Mubarak area, they organized much earlier and can mobilize the masses for their cause.

Above all, the Freedom and Justice Party, established by the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Salafist Nour Party believe they have a good chance of winning a majority.

Rana Gaber may well be able to convince a few people in Tahrir Square to vote for the Free Egyptians Party. But that won't do much good. The liberal forces have been largely excluded from a fair election campaign due to the recent outbreak of violence in Tahrir Square. There, members and followers were killed and injured while the Muslim Brotherhood continued to campaign.

Author: Viktoria Kleber / slk
Editor: Martin Kuebler