If a visitor to this country saw all the campaign banners that presently fill the streets and the election headlines that dominate media reporting, he would most certainly conclude that there is a fierce battle being fought between competing parties running in the parliamentary elections next week. The sad truth is there is only one party, the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), fielding candidates for most of the seats, and in some districts running even more than one candidate. All the media hoopla surrounding the other "legitimate" parties competing in the elections is nonsense. Even if opposition candidates won all the seats they're contesting they would still not achieve a majority, nor would they be able to initiate political reform and fulfill their campaign promises. This doesn't mean there are no campaign battles being fought this election season. A battle does indeed exist, only it's not between official political parties. The real battle is between security authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood, which is evident from recent clashes between the two. Things haven't changed much since the 2005 election; the main players this year, once again, belong to the same triangle (the NDP, security forces and the Brotherhood) with no other competitors. Nor is there much hope that alternative parties can initiate a serious electoral challenge and offer hope for real change. What kind of battle then are we talking about if the only two choices are both authoritarian in nature? On the one hand, we have the NDP with its security, legal, administrative, and media resources and personnel helping to pave the way for an easy election victory. On the other hand, we have the Brotherhood who insist on challenging the laws that govern political competition (i.e. by running under a religious slogan), and refuse to address public fears about their positions on democracy, freedom, civil rights and the rights of minorities (i.e. Egyptian Copts). Moreover, the outcome of the election is already predetermined. With ineffective opposition parties and a weakened Brotherhood that is having trouble expanding its support base, the cards are surely stacked in favor of the NDP. A sad state of affairs indeed. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
