Egyptians Vote
Basically the first real referendum in Egyptian history has past. There was also an amazing turnout of voters that didn't seem to be bought off by the government or some political group. “This is the first real referendum in Egypt’s history,” said Mohamed Ahmed Attia, the chairman of the supreme judicial committee which supervised the elections, in announcing the results. “We had an unprecedented turnout because after Jan. 25 people started to feel that their vote would matter.” The vote came a month after President Hosni Mubarak was kicked out of the country after three days of riots and demonstrations by the people. At that time the military took control and attempted to calm the people.
The vote was on eight constitutional amendments that had to be voted on as a whole. The thought was to design a foundation for the upcoming elections. Most addressed some of the worst excesses of previous years — limiting the president to two four-year terms, for example, to avoid another president staying in office as long as Mr. Mubarak. The amendments were announced on Feb. 25 after virtually no public discussion by an 11-member committee of experts chosen by the military.
“It is very, very disappointing,” said Hani Shukrallah, who is active in a new liberal political party and is the editor of Ahram Online, a news Website.
There do seem to be some concerns about the Muslim Brother hood and what part they are playing in the development of the new Egyptian government. It seems as though the liberal groups attempting to come to power as well may have difficulty with the Muslim Brother hood. It was the first time the Muslim Brotherhood had campaigned openly since the party was banned in 1954, and the group flexed its full organizational muscle — printing up countless fliers and posters, sending workers out to convince the undecided and driving voters to the polls.
I guess we will have to see what happens in the future with the new Government in Egypt.
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