Egyptians vote in run-off elections after Islamists take dramatic lead

Egyptians vote in run-off elections after Islamists take dramatic lead

Islamist parties won over 60 percent of votes in the first round of the Egyptian elections, with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) coming out on top with 36.6 percent followed by the Salafi al-Nour party with 24.4 percent. However, only four parliamentary seats were determined, forcing a run-off on Monday and Tuesday to decide 52 seats. Twenty-four of the seats are contested by the Islamist parties, sparking debate over the two parties’ contrasting vision of Islamic rule. The reported 62 percent of initial voter turnout was surprisingly high but is appearing to be much lower for the run-offs. Meanwhile, elections in the remaining 18 of Egypt’s 27 provinces will take place within the next month. The second phase of elections are scheduled for December 14 and 15 and the final phase on January 3 and 4. The well-organized FJP has a strong following in the remaining districts, and is expected to extend its lead as the elections continue. However, regardless of elections, questions persist over whether Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) will completely cede control.

Headlines  

• Iran claims to have shot down and seized a U.S. surveillance drone lost last week in western Afghanistan, which if confirmed could give Iran access to critical intelligence and technology.
• Yemeni government and opposition fighters caught in deadly clashes for the past four days in the southern city of Taiz have begun to withdraw forces.
• Syria responded “positively” to a demand to allow Arab League observers to investigate conditions in the government crackdown and said it may sign the deal “soon.”
• A car bomb exploded near the British Embassy in Bahrain but caused no damage or casualties.

Daily Snapshot

A Bahraini Shiite Muslim boy holds a flag that reads ‘Oh, Hussein’ referring to Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed, during religious ceremonies commemorating Ashura, which marks the 7th century killing of Imam Hussein, in the village of Bu Qawah, South of Manama, on December 4, 2011 (AFP/Getty Images). 

Arguments & Analysis

‘Choosing Egypt’s future’ (Yasmine El-Rashidi, New York Review of Books)

“In my neighborhood, everyone is discussing what will happen. Some friends have already decided that it is time to leave. Others are more determined than ever to fight for the cosmopolitan Egypt we have long known. Groups of friends and acquaintances are busy preparing flyers and Facebook pages and email circulars to counter the campaigning of the Islamist groups. With over a month left, and two-thirds of the parliamentary seats yet to compete for, many say that the fears, and even celebrations, are premature. Worst-case scenario, an old school friend tweeted, “I’ll move to Heliopolis, I like how they think over there.”

‘Iran’s first Great Satan was England’ (Stephen Kinzer, New York Times)

“So Iran’s mullahs — they, not President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are reported to have been behind the attack — were not gambling in ordering, or at least tolerating, it. They presumably realized that the world would denounce their flagrant violation of international law. But they also knew it would resonate with the narrative Iranians have heard for so long about their own history… More than half a century ago, Secretary of State Dean Acheson wrote that Mr. Mossadegh was “inspired by a fanatical hate of the British and a desire to expel them and their works from the country regardless of the cost.” Many Iranians still feel that way, as their country falls into ever deeper isolation. In Iran, the words “anger” and “Britain” fit easily together.”

‘For long-suppressed Libyan minority, new freedom brings an identity crisis’ (Sarah A. Topol, The Atlantic)

“Najwa Alazabi has another first name, Tiarina, but under Muammar Qaddafi’s rule she could never use it. Tiarina is a traditional name of Amazighs, a North African ethnic minority also known as Berber, and expressions of the Amazigh culture and script were forbidden in Qaddafi’s Libya. When we met in early November, the dark eyed, 22-year-old solemnly told me I can call her either one. Alazabi was nervous when we first sat down. She’d never spoken to a journalist before, she said — much less a Western one — and the topic we were discussing is so important to her, she doesn’t want to get it wrong. She shuffled with her papers looking for the right words and pointed to the Amazigh necklace she’s wearing — an emblem on a blue, green, and yellow background. She couldn’t wear this before, either. Now, she wears it everyday.” 

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