| Mubarak understands Egyptians better than his rivals Tomorrow, Egypt's Central Election Commission will sum up the results of Wednesday's presidential election. However, it is clear that over the next six years, the country of 72 million will be governed by 77-year-old Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for 24 years. According to preliminary data, at least 70% of voters voted for him. According to other sources, Mubarak's support may be close to 90%. This is evidenced by a survey of voters leaving polling stations.
For the first time in the history of the Country of Eternal Pyramids, elections were alternative and direct. This innovation - however, not without a prompt from the United States - was initiated by Mubarak himself, and he was not mistaken. Second behind him in this race is the leader of the new Al-Ghad (Tomorrow) party Ayman Nour (as of yesterday, according to preliminary data, he received only 6% of the votes).
However, participation in the election race allows all nine of the president's rivals to score political points. Now they accuse the authorities of numerous violations. The opposition claims that in Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor, functionaries of the ruling National Democratic Party offered voters food and money (about $10) right at the polling stations for “correct voting,” and threatened those who were indignant with deprivation of social benefits. Ayman Nur announced his intention to challenge the election results. The Central Election Commission, recognizing only “minor violations,” threatened to cancel the votes of Nur himself, since he, in violation of the law, made a public statement of his program on election day.
The question remains open about how many of the 32 million voters actually took part in the voting. The Central Election Commission speaks of “more than half”, the losing opposition speaks of 15-20% in villages and 3-5% in cities. Egypt's Ministry of Information explained that "there is no special body that would collect such information." Conclusions about voter turnout "were made on the basis of Egyptian television broadcasts." Television footage showed huge queues forming to the polling stations. Many people spoke into microphones that they “want change without crisis, destruction and violence.” This is what Hosni Mubarak promises his fellow citizens.
The United States is pleased with the Egyptian evolution: the State Department called the elections a “historic step forward.” In Moscow, the head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Mikhail Margelov, mentioning “Mubarak’s 24-year power resources and, accordingly, his great advantages over his competitors,” noted that at the same time, the Egyptian elections are “a big step in promoting democracy in the East.” Vice-President of the Russian Society of Friends of Egypt, Professor Anatoly Yegorin, drew the attention of Vremya Novostey to the fact that “under Mubarak, cooperation between Russia and Egypt is developing dynamically,” although “the economic sphere should be improved”: the annual trade turnover barely exceeds $834 million, if not take into account tourist exchange. Alexander SAMOKHOTKIN |
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