Cairo - In late May, Egypt will witness the first democratic presidential elections in its history. The main aim of the Egyptians is to select the best, most suitable and most responsible person to lead this country at this critical stage. Many presidential candidates, including Islamists, old regime figures and political newcomers, are campaigning to become Egypt's first president since Hosni Mubarak's fall. They are struggling to find a voice to represent them in the presidential race, while many potential candidates have been making many promises and rosy statements in a bid to woo the voters. “Egyptians are in a state of indecision; everyone is asking whom they should vote for,” says Mamdouh el-Nagar, a professor of political science at Cairo University. “The voters should look at the candidates' manifestos and what they have already done to serve their country. It's impossible for them to fulfil their promises, given the country's current financial crisis. “We want the presidential candidates to talk about their manifestos and offer practical solutions to the country's problems,” he stresses. “We need a man who will help the poor; he must be honest and wise.” “The Egyptian citizen should be differentiate between promises that can be achieved and those that can't,” says Fawzia Abdel-Satar, a professor of constitutional law. “Voters should be rational, not just choosing someone on the grounds of feelings. It's not easy, but we must elect someone who will move this country forwards. “We need to think long and hard about each candidate, not just rely on other people's opinions. We need a president with a lot of economic and political experience. “The presidential elections are different from the parliamentary elections; many of the promises the candidates are making are nonsense,” she adds. According to Abdullah Khalil, an international lawyer and human rights adviser, all the promises being made by the candidates are unreasonable. “This doesn't happen in developed countries, where candidates have scientifically designed, entirely reasonable manifestos,” he comments. “Some of the candidates promise to increase the minimum salary to LE1,700 per month, improve the standard of living, and find jobs and flats for young people. “What we want are real promises to convince people to vote for them, which is why the voters should carefully examine their manifestos,” he explains. “Our next president should be just and religious, a man of God,” says 25-year-old Mohamed Saber, an accountant, who supported the Islamists in the recent parliamentary elections. “Islamists will apply God's Sharia. Most people, including myself, want this and we will, therefore, support the Muslim Brotherhood candidate. The Islamists are the only hope for the country. “Besides being religious, the next president should have a strong economic and political background,” he adds.
