Egypt has been trying to take careful, perhaps, inadequate steps to to democratize the electoral process by following the examples of Israel and Turkey. For the first time, the ruling party’s central and regional leadership will choose the presidential nominee in a manner similar to the way Israeli parties choose their candidates for prime minister. A promising step provided someone dares challenge Mubarak whose posters already cover Cairo.
The second change is the decision to legitimatize what some like to call a “post-islamist party” like Turkey’s ruling party or as Cairo Magazine reports “Not your grandma’s Islamists. It includes a Copts. An Egyptian friend writes that the new party may be worth watching “because Ayman Nour’s party is so Western secular liberal in tone and style that it will be unlikely to resonate outside of elite circles (although the rough treatment Ayman has received over the past year certainly has boosted his image and image of his party.)”
The big question is how will the recent bombing affect the upcoming elections? If Debka is right, Mubarak’s winter residence was one of the targets. Either way, Mubarak’s Egypt is faced with a two front challenge:
It is challenged peacefully by its own civil society and political opposition that have launched a growing campaign to retire Mubarak after his 24 years of rule, and prevent him from passing on the presidency to his son. The state is also challenged violently by a brazen, self-assertive new generation of Egyptian terrorists allied to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network, who attack the symbols of the Egyptian state head-on.
It is time for him to go and it is time for the US coalition to go on the offensive. At the very least, incitement must be banned, terrorist groups like Hamas or Hizballa should no longer be permitted to march in the streets wearing uniforms and national borders should no longer shield escaping terrorists.
posted by Judith.
The Dish 