Article Review
The article I chose was called “The Presidential Election in Egypt: Egypt’s Second Republic”, published on May 19th, 2012 in Cairo. I found the article in The Economist online, the other was not stated, but it was mentioned it was from the print edition.
This article begins by talking about the five hour-long presidential debates in Egypt on May 10th. It notes that the candidates discussed global political issues and not simply those of their home country. These two candidates represented opposing views, and according to the article “perhaps the most crucial fault line in regional politics”. The large debate on May 10th left Egypt’s 52 million voters with a choice: do they want a republic chiefly guided by timeless Islamic teachings, or one where the changing is demanding from people to set the rules? After the debate it was unclear who had won. Egypt had a large choice to make, choosing between religious or secular government.
The debate made it clear that the Arab spring brought about a type of conversation that had previously not been in the open. Egypt is ready for change. Their economy and government are weak and in need of reform. New presidents still needs to be chosen, and a new constitution written, thereby establishing his power. A few of the front running candidates are Amr Moussa as a former foreign minister and someone who is quite conservative, while Abdel Moneim Abolfotoh is at the more liberal end of Islamism. While at the time of this article the turnout was not known, there was a common sentiment that it would be foolish to hand the secretive Brotherhood control of the presidency seeing as how they already had large influences in the parliament, courts, trade unions and schools. They have a choice between the old regime and a military one.
The main issue that the article addresses is the task for whoever does win the elections.
In the 15 months since Mubarak`s fall, incredible changes occurred. Foreign-exchange reserves have hemorrhaged by two-thirds and the official unemployment rate rose to almost 13%. The government budget deficit surged to 10% of GDP and now nearly 40% of the population lives in poverty. These are huge tasks for a new president and a new government to take on. The lack of trust between Egypt’s polarized centers of power, combined with the shakiness of key institutions such as the courts and the parliament, suggests that the road ahead will be rocky. Yet optimists also make a good case and on a surprising number of issues, there is consensus.
One of the most challenging issues is specifically dealing with the constitution. They have to be careful about framing the new constitution and weigh relations between religion and state. They ask if Sharia law should remain and have large influence on legislation or should a State write some specific rules? The other thing to consider is the army and their influence on many aspects of life; as it is stated in the article, “the real, dangerous struggle is between civil society and the deep state”.
This article taught me a lot about the current situation in Egypt. I have not realized how different the candidates were and just how torn the population might be in choosing someone. I also did not realize how much Egypt fell apart in the short 15 months without a president. The article was unbiased, demonstrating many perspectives about the new government and questions will the government be able to turn around all these issues.
"Egypt's Second Republic." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 19 May 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2012.
