The results of the first round of Egyptian elections on November 28th were one-sided even by the abjectly unfair standards of the country's ruling party. No one was surprised to see that the NDP "earned" a resounding victory, but the degree that it has totally sidelined opposition, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, is impressive.
As The Economist notes in "Some skilful rigging":
"Yet it may not be so odd that Mr Mubarak's government seems willing to risk damage to its legitimacy, as well as to its international reputation, from staging an election so clearly flawed even by Egypt's own dismal standards. Egypt's rulers believe the country is at a crucial juncture. Mr Mubarak, now 82, must soon decide whether to run for a sixth six-year presidential term next September, or cede power to a new pharaoh. For the smoothest possible transition, he needs the tamest possible parliament."
Steven A. Cook, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies over at the Council of Foreign Relations in "Egypt's Weakness on Display in Elections" suggests that there may well be a positive in the predictably rigged election and its aftermath:
"Indeed, the showdown between the regime and the opposition, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, over the elections only adds to an increasingly angry, polarized, and potentially radicalized political arena. This is precisely the dynamic that occurred in the period before President Anwar Sadat's assassination and contributed to the low-level insurgency Egypt confronted in the 1990s. It is entirely plausible that as the Egyptian leadership continues to brutalize its citizens to ensure its monopoly on power, it could trigger another round of violence."
As The Economist notes in "Some skilful rigging":
"Yet it may not be so odd that Mr Mubarak's government seems willing to risk damage to its legitimacy, as well as to its international reputation, from staging an election so clearly flawed even by Egypt's own dismal standards. Egypt's rulers believe the country is at a crucial juncture. Mr Mubarak, now 82, must soon decide whether to run for a sixth six-year presidential term next September, or cede power to a new pharaoh. For the smoothest possible transition, he needs the tamest possible parliament."
Steven A. Cook, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies over at the Council of Foreign Relations in "Egypt's Weakness on Display in Elections" suggests that there may well be a positive in the predictably rigged election and its aftermath:
"Indeed, the showdown between the regime and the opposition, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, over the elections only adds to an increasingly angry, polarized, and potentially radicalized political arena. This is precisely the dynamic that occurred in the period before President Anwar Sadat's assassination and contributed to the low-level insurgency Egypt confronted in the 1990s. It is entirely plausible that as the Egyptian leadership continues to brutalize its citizens to ensure its monopoly on power, it could trigger another round of violence."
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