Monday, May 28, 2012

To vote or not to vote

At this stage, we are all asking ourselves this question, to vote or not to vote? It seems to many that either choices could be undesirable; I mean, who do you vote for? The lesser of two evils is really relative at this point, and not voting is an insult to those who gave up their lives for a democratic Egypt. I think we have to practice our right to vote, but who?

We have to stick with the candidate that is most likely to keep Egypt a democracy after 4 years. Shafik, even though a Mubarak era figure and the military man, is most likely to keep Egypt a democracy until the next round of elections. This might sound absurd to many, but voting for him could at least give time to build a strong secular opposition that can gain momentum within 4 years. The secular politicians are currently weak, dispersed and have not put much effort in reaching out to the majority uneducated population. Under Shafik, I think that these secular forces can regroup and focus their efforts in campaigning against Shafik. I hardly believe any of this could happen if Morsy took over. With parliament on his side, cracking down on opposition could be legitimized and a presidential term could easily be extended to 8 years. I doubt they will want to give up power once they gain it.

These are my views. Feel free to share yours.

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