THE most significant thing about the presidential election results is not the runoff between Air Marshal Ahmed Shafiq and the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi. Rather, it is in the emergence of a third bloc of more than 10 million voters from the 25 million who participated in the polls, many of them voting for the candidate who came third and is not a military man or an Islamist. The citizens who voted for this candidate, Hamdeen Sabahi, and other revolutionary candidates avoided the traditional conflict between the military regime and the Islamist movements that want religious men to dominate politics. Sabahi, the leftist Nasserite candidate, got a surprising number of votes, although not enough to make him President. However, he could well succeed in the presidential elections in 2016. This bloc reflects the increasing public awareness of political life and a sincere desire to salvage the revolution from the powers that are trying to thwart it or change its direction for the worse. This same bloc demands having a constitution that will ensure that Egypt is a civil, democratic state, their revolution's last line of defence, in order to achieve their dream of living in a strong, democratic, developed state. This huge bloc of citizens that dispersed their votes among a number of candidates with similar leanings, must learn to unite behind a single candidate, so as to make themselves heard. They must also teach the politicians who belong to the same liberal, civil front to unite behind a single candidate in future elections and not to dilute their impact by voting for several candidates, thereby benefiting others. It would be a mistake for the coming President to neglect this bloc, consisting of far more voters than those who voted for him. The coming President, whether Islamist or military, shouldn't try to underestimate the power of this bloc nor marginalise them. Instead, the President should consider their demand for democratic, civil rule. Whether members of this bloc decide to boycott or participate in the runoff, they shouldn't withdraw from the scene. They must continue to struggle for their legitimate right to civil rule via different legal and political means, the best way being to join political parties that espouse their aspirations.
