CAIRO - It was no secret that most recent parliamentary elections have been rigged in favour of the then ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). Rigging took place by several means, such as using thugs to intimidate non-NDP voters, bribery and tampering with the electoral lists. A large number of eligible voters mostly abstained from being part of that cheating. Calls had been voiced to allow voters to use their IDs instead of voting cards to guarantee more transparency. But despite assurances that ID voting was acceptable, the proposed measure was purposely hampered. Today, within the context of political change, the Interior Ministry Election Department is at present considering the possibility of cancelling voting cards. An entire new system is being studied to consider the feasibility of its administrative and technical application. The shift to ID voting is actually a commendable step, which meets a long-ignored public demand. In addition to saving time and effort, voting by means of IDs is likely to minimise the chances of malpractices occurring. Under Egyptian law, voting is the right of each and every citizen at the age of 18, although IDs are issued at the age of 16. The discrepancy, however, requires certain measures to be taken to filter the lists of names. Eligible voters for the recent legislative elections were 40,2 million, of whom no more than 23 per cent took part, according to official figures. This year, they will be joined by one to one-and-a-half million voters that will turn 18. Generally speaking, the drastic change in the political scene today, which has produced a large base of young politically interested people, is expected to make the “silent majority” speak up. Those who had absented themselves from the process of expressing opinion are today enthusiastic to have a say in by whom and how the country is to be run.
