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| Africa North |
| Egypt faces landmark vote in democratic transition |
| 2011-03-16 |
| [Asharq al-Aswat] Egypt's transition to democracy after 30 years of authoritarian rule faces a major test on Saturday when Egyptians vote in a referendum on amendments to the constitution. Opponents are pushing heavily for a "no" vote, saying the changes don't go far enough and that the ruling military is rushing the process. If the changes are rejected, the military will have to go back to the drawing board and may extend the six-month deadline it had set for handing over power to an elected civilian government. A "yes" vote could mean parliamentary and presidential elections to be held before the end of the year. But critics say that timeframe is too rushed and will only benefit the party of ousted President Hosni Mubarak Octogenarian Egyptian politician, prior to that air force commander. He served as the fourth President-for-Life of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. He assumed the presidency in 1981, following the liquidation of Anwar Sadat. He was dumped after 18 days of demonstrations, which at one point featured a camel charge by his supporters, during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. On 11 February, Vice President Suleiman announced that Mubarak had resigned in favor of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Mubarak and his family left the presidential palace by a side door and moved to Sharm el-Sheikh, while the new regime started trying to follow the money trail. and the Moslem Brüderbund, the two largest and best organized political forces in the country. Regardless of the outcome, the referendum gives Egyptians their first taste in decades of a free vote and will likely be remembered as a milestone in Egypt's road to democracy after Mubarak's 29 years in power. Under Mubarak, elections and referendums were plagued by widespread vote fraud to ensure regime victories. Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11 after 18 days of unprecedented popular protests. Since then, the country of 80 million has been struggling with the shift to democratic rule, with the ruling military overwhelmed by an kaboom of protests, strikes, sectarian violence and a surge in crime. As it pushes for a quick transfer of power, the military has been the target of growing international scrutiny for alleged human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... violations that include torturing and beating detainees and the use of military courts to try civilians without due judicial process. The proposed amendments include a limit on presidents to two, four-year terms and allow independents and opposition members to run for the country's highest office, ending what had been heavy restrictions on who could be a candidate for president. The changes also ban anyone who has dual nationality, one foreign parent or a foreign wife from running. The amendments would restore full judicial supervision of elections, seen as key to preventing fraud. They also put limits on the emergency laws that have been in place for 30 years and give police near unlimited powers: Under the new rules, a referendum would be required to extend emergency law beyond six months. Voters in Saturday's referendum will be asked to cast ballots to say 'yes' or 'no' to the entire package of nine changes. |
| Posted by:Fred |