Campaigns are never fair, writes Adel Abdel-Ghaffar Thirteen candidates are standing in Egypt's first presidential elections since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. Some are reformists, others Islamists. A third group refer to themselves as revolutionaries. Each is vying to win as many votes as possible, campaigning across the media -- television, radio, the press and Internet -- and using billboards and posters, rallies, conventions and door-to-door canvassing in an attempt to convince voters they should be Egypt's next president. Some publicity comes free of charge, but much costs money. The campaigns employ two types of teams. PR firms and advertising agencies design and produce newspaper ads and fill billboards. The more money there is in the candidates' coffers the more these companies come into play. They are involved most heavily in the campaigns of Amr Moussa, Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh, Ahmed Shafik and Mohamed Mursi. Other candidates must rely more on teams of volunteers, campaign workers who seek to promote their candidate's cyber profile, organise rallies and other gatherings and distribute leaflets and flyers. There is a plethora of campaign slogans and messages. Moussa's "We are up to the challenge" aims to inspire confidence, in Moussa's ability as well as that of ordinary Egyptians. Shafik's slogan, "Deeds not words", underlines his political experience, while Abul-Fotouh's -- "Egypt is strong" -- strikes an optimistic note for the future. The Mursi campaign, based on the Muslim Brotherhood's Nahda (revival) programme, has opted for "Nahda: the will of a people", suggesting -- as much of the Brotherhood's politicking does -- that the group is somehow a natural extension of the public and its policies an expression of the collective will. Hamdeen Sabahi's slogan goes straight to the hearts of the working class. He insists that he is "one of us". All campaigns make use of the Internet, with young volunteers pushing innovative ways to get their candidate's message across. Access to funds determines the extent to which each candidate employs the more costly means of publicity. The Shafik, Moussa, Mursi and Abul-Fotouh campaigns, and to a lesser extent, the Sabahi and Selim El-Awwa campaigns have made considerable use of billboards and television and radio airtime. The committee monitoring campaign media use will have a difficult time ensuring campaign finances remain within the limits set. Candidates that announced their intention to run, and effectively began campaigning before the date allowed by presidential election regulations may have gained an advantage over their rivals. Moussa, Abul-Fotouh, Sabahi and El-Awwa all opened their campaigns early, which may constitute a breach of equal access to the media rules. The media itself has made use of surveys and polls to monitor public opinion. There have been exciting new developments in programming, not least televised debates between the candidates. This election saw the first live broadcast of a televised debate between two of the frontrunners, Moussa and Abul-Fotouh. The four-hour programme drew a wide audience. The Moussa campaign has used billboards featuring pictures of the candidate against backdrops that highlight elements of his campaign platform. The Abul-Fotouh campaign, by contrast, has drawn on young volunteers and their talent for novel publicity approaches. While the Shafik campaign has relied heavily on outdoor publicity, the Mursi campaign has organised large rallies and convents. The Sabahi and El-Awwa campaigns have relied heavily on the rhetorical skills of their candidates through appearances in various television programmes. The results of opinion polls reflect, in part, diversity in the publicity density of the candidates as well as the earlier media appearance of some of them. The presidential campaigns have weak points, the foremost being their campaign platforms. These vague documents cannot be described as manifestos. They are filled with unrealistic promises, making no mention of how the pledges will be met. They speak to the heart rather than the head, and offer no practical solution to chronic problems. Discrepancies in campaign financing and breaches of electoral laws and ethics also mar the campaigns. Public buildings have been used for campaign purposes, insults have been exchanged, personal attacks mounted, and rumours and downright lies deliberately spread. Some candidates have used university campuses to campaign while others have routinely used mosques, both in flagrant violation of the law. Such illegitimate and irresponsible behaviour sullies the campaigns. The Presidential Elections Commission (PEC) has not been tough enough when it comes to enforcing regulations. Past failures to take action have undermined its credibility. During parliamentary elections regulations were regularly flouted, religious slogans raised, and campaigning continued until the day of the poll, with voters harassed outside polling stations in flagrant breach of the regulations, all of which has undermined the PEC's ability to deter similar violations taking place. And there is also the question of whether it will ever be possible to level the electoral playing field when some members of the media respect the standards of journalistic professionalism while others play an underhand game. The writer is professor of mass communication at Cairo University.
