CAIRO - “For whom will you vote?” This question has been on the lips of almost every Egyptian in the past few days, ahead of Wednesday's historic presidential elections. The question reflects the confusion of many Egyptians ahead of the dramatic polls, believed to be Egypt's first real democratic competitive presidential elections. In 2005, Egypt had its first multi-candidate presidential elections, which were a sham as the then president Hosni Mubarak was a shoo-in beforehand. Now the situation is entirely different. Thirteen candidates are vying for the top job, with six of them viewed as frontrunners. The fact that there are no major differences in the programmes touted by the presidential hopefuls makes the race too tight to call. However, a few hours before the polling stations open, one can safely divide the voters into four broad categories. The first are those favouring experienced statesmen whom they believe are capable of re-establishing stability in the country after months of street turmoil. These voters are set to choose either ex-foreign minister Amr Moussa or Mubarak's last premier, Ahmed Shafiq, much to the indignation of the youth who led the revolt against the former president. The second group of voters are Islamists who want the next president to have an Islamist background. They will vote for one of the three Islamist contenders: Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi and the lawyer-cum-writer Selim el-Awa. The third group are the ‘revolutionary' voters who believe that the next president should be one of those who led, or at least got engaged in, the anti-Mubarak revolt. Their votes will go to Hamdeen Sabahi, Khaled Ali, Hesham al-Bastawisi and Abul Ezz al-Hariri, who espouse leftist ideas. The fourth group are the undecided voters, believed to account for at least 40 per cent of the overall 50.4 million registered voters. These voters believe that all the contenders, including the six frontrunners, have failed to manifest major differences. “I cannot see anyone of them qualified enough to be Egypt's president,” a housewife told a private television channel the other day. “Each candidate is seeking personal glory without having the credentials to be a competent president. I may not go to the polls,” added the youngish woman. This category is likely to sway the result of the first round of voting to be held Wednesday and on Thursday. With the possibility being high of a vote split, a runoff is likely to be held. Harbouring mixed feelings about Mubarak's successor, ordinary Egyptians agree that the next president should “fear God, create jobs for the unemployed youth and make life better”. These demands sound like basic rights. But, having been deprived of them for long, the majority of the Egyptians hope that the next president, whoever he may be, will actually make these wishes come true. “Let's hope the new president learns a lesson from the fate of Mubarak,” a passenger on a Cairo Tube train said during a heated argument with another. “I agree with you. The question is: Will the new resident of the presidential palace heed this advice or fall for the temptations of power?” added the other passenger.
