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Presidential polls open in Egypt amid political chaos
Sunday June 17, 2012 09:59:17 AM,
IINA
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Cairo:
Egypt’s 50 million eligible voters started casting their ballots
Saturday in a presidential runoff that pits two candidates whose
platforms are at the crux of the country’s political chaos.
On one
side, an Islamist backed by the political arm of the Muslim
Brotherhood. On the other, a former air force general who served
as the last prime minister in the waning days of Hosni Mubarak’s
regime. And sitting in the background – overseeing the election
and the creation of a new constitution – are the military rulers
who have been in control of the country since Mubarak was ousted
from power last year.
Ahmed Shafik (70), a former air force commander who was Mubarak’s
last prime minister, and Mohammed Morsy (60) of the Muslim
Brotherhood, emerged from the first round of voting in May to
advance to the runoff, in which Egyptian voters are to choose the
country’s first democratically elected president.
The runoff election was prompted after a May election failed to
produce a winner with a clear majority. Polling sites will be open
Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Votes must be counted
by Monday, with final results to be announced by Thursday.
The vote comes two days after a high court ruling that dissolved
parliament and raised questions about whether the military will
relinquish power. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the
country’s military rulers, formally dissolved parliament Friday,
in line with Thursday’s ruling from the nation’s top court, which
declared the legislative body invalid.
The military council claimed full legislative power after the High
Constitutional Court ruled that the constitutional articles
regulating parliamentary elections were invalid.
Gen. Hussein Tantawi, the head of supreme council and Egypt’s de
facto ruler, met Friday in an emergency session with the council
to discuss drafting a new constitution. The council is expected to
issue its own interim constitutional charter.
While the court’s initial ruling prompted protests, Cairo streets
remained relatively quiet compared with the popular demonstrations
in February 2011 that brought down Mubarak’s regime.
The Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission has approved
licenses for 53 organizations to observe the elections, including
at least three international groups — the U.S.-based Carter Center,
the South Africa-based Electoral Institute for Sustainable
Democracy in Africa and the Arab Network for Monitoring of
Elections. The election of a president without a parliament means
that the winner will wield extraordinary power, dealing directly
with the military rulers while a new constitution is written and
until new parliamentary elections are held.
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