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Forming long serpentine queues outside polling stations soon afterday-break, Egyptian voters on Wednesday began participating inpresidential elections that are being held more than a year after apopular rebellion toppled former strongman Hosni Mubarak from thepresidency. Under the strict vigil of the police and army, the young,middle-aged and elderly queued patiently to savour the fruits ofthe first free presidential elections that Egypt is witnessingafter the 1952 revolution, when young officers led by the lateGemal Abdel Nasser overthrew the monarchy. These voters appeared set to participate in a tight contest betweenthe remnants of the Mubarak era-called feloul in local parlance,and parties and individuals who had been active in the revolt thathad brought down Mr. Mubarak. The two day polling has commenced in the backdrop of an energeticcampaign where Ahmed Shafiq — Mr. Mubarak's last primeminister and a former aviator —and Amr Moussa, a formerforeign minister in the Mubarak cabinet, highlighted their years ofexperience in governance and pledged to restore in Egypt,"stability and security," which has been rocked in theaftermath of Mr. Mubarak's exit. Analysts point out that both these candidates have the support of alarge section of the country's business elite as well asinfluential landowners in the agricultural heartland of UpperEgypt. Their message for the restoration of order, conveyed in alargely secular idiom has, supposedly, also gone down well with theminority Coptic Christians, who comprise around 10 per cent of thepopulation. It has, apparently, also been well received among SufiMuslims, who are largely unaligned with the main Islamist parties— chiefly the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Nour— thehardline Salafi coalition. Both these candidates have not opposedthe Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the panelcomprising Egypt's de facto rulers, following Mr.Mubarak's exit. The Muslim Brotherhood — the most organised among thepro-revolution parties, commanding unparalleled street power, hasemerged as the most formidable obstacle for the old-guard remnants,aspiring to return to the political center-stage. The MuslimBrotherhood candidate, Mohamed Morsy, has been running a wellorganised and heavily attended national campaign. However,questions are being asked about the support that the Brothers canmuster outside their core Islamist constituencies. Even the Islamist supporters outside the Brotherhood's ranksare divided. Instead of Mr.Morsy, the Salafi Dawa — anultraconservative outfit — has decided to pitch for AbdelMoneim Abul Fotouh, an independent, but moderate Islamist. Mr.Fotouh was expelled from the Muslim Brotherhood last year after heunilaterally announced his decision to run for the presidency. Mr. Fotouh's message of moderation and inclusivity, andrejection of SCAF has been adequately conveyed during the course ofa slick campaign, which has also found considerable support amongthe intelligentsia and the youth, symbolised by the endorsement ofhis candidacy by Wael Ghoneim, the Google executive who played akey role in igniting the anti-Mubarak uprising. Mr. Fotouh'scritics, however, question his message of unity, after the SalafiDawa declared its support for his candidacy. In the non-Islamist camp, Hamdeen Sabbahi has emerged as the"dark horse" during the tail-end of the presidentialcampaign that ended on Monday. Drawing inspiration from Nasser, Mr.Sabbahi's consistent opposition, first against the late AnwarSadat, and then Mr. Mubarak, has pitched him firmly in thepro-revolution camp. Mr. Sabbahi's critics however, point tohis lack of experience in administration, in comparison to seasoned"law and order" heavyweights such as Mr. Shafiq, andMr. Moussa, the veteran diplomat. Outside polling stations, it was evident from the animatedconversations that broke out among those awaiting their turn that adeeply divided verdict was, most likely, in the offing. "Sureit is going to be a run-off between the top two candidates becauseI don't think can get 50 per cent of vote," said AhmedSalam, referring to the 50 per cent voting threshold thatcandidates have to cross for an outright victory. Many young peoplesaid that they were tossing between Mr. Fotouh and Mr. Morsy astheir favoured candidate, while still others pitched for Mr.Sabbahi. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as High Bay Light Fitting Manufacturer , Led Candle Light Bulbs, and more. For more , please visit T5 Led Tube Lights today!
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