CAIRO: In the absence of the former regime, Egyptian politicians have used the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to plan their electoral campaigns. The atmosphere of the ‘electoral carnival' has reached across Egypt during Ramadan, which will end next week. Youm7 spotted the physical manifestation of election campaigns in many Cairene neighborhoods, including Sayeda Zeinab, Bab el-Shareya, el-Zaher and Bolaq el-Dakror. Sayeda Zeinab saw some of the most violent confrontations in previous elections, especially after the election of Fathy Sorour, who was the speaker of the People's Assembly, the lower house of the Egyptian parliament. Sorour has been accused of corruption in the wake of Egypt's January 25 Revolution, which toppled the country's 30-year president and his regime. November's expected parliamentary elections will be Egypt's first since the fall of the regime, and many Egyptians hold high hopes that the elections will be free and fair, something they were not under Hosni Mubarak's three decade rule. Sayeda Zeinab square was full of Sorour's photos. Other candidates used the square for their own propaganda, including many businessmen who never run in parliament elections before. Sayeda Zeinab resident Sayed Farouk said, “We only know Sorour, although he never cared for us.” Farouk said the district's new candidates were all previously unknown. Candidates include legal advisors Morsy el-Sheikh, Hussein el-Nawawy, Ahmed Magdi, Mostafa Foad and Khaled el-Shemy. Farouk said there are no members of the formerly ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) running in the next elections. Abdeen neighborhood saw the most political controversies. Its former representative was Ragab Hemeda, who has since been arrested for involvement in the infamous Battle of the Camels on February 2 in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Residents said Abdeen is no better than Sayeda Zeinab. They said there are many people vying for the district's parliamentary seat who ran in parliamentary elections before, including Muslim Brotherhood candidate Gamal Hanafy. Hussein Ashraf, Ahmed Hassan, Gamal Saraya, Ibrahim Abdel Rahman Saeed and Hamdy Ezz el-Din are also competing for the seat. In the constituencies of Bab el-Shareya and el-Mosky, the electoral atmosphere is different. Resident Mahmoud Abd Rabu said former NDP candidates who did not win the last elections, in November 2010, have places greeting placards in the neighborhood. Some residents of these two constituencies supported Yehia Wahdan, a former NDP candidate, saying that he is the most convenient person to hold the position. They said if any of the former members or candidates of the NDP run, the situation will remain corrupted. In el-Zaher region, there are placards for businessman Rami Lakah. El-Zaher residents expect Hany Sorour, brother of Fathy Sorour, to challenge Lakah. In Giza governorate, parties campaigning for a parliamentary seat began their campaigns earlier than usual. Resident Abdel Hamid Shendy said the constituency refused political guardianship during the elections. Finally, in Bolaq el-Dakror potential candidates used the occasion of Ramadan to send Ramadan bags or greetings to the residents. Two prominent candidates for Bulaq's seat are Ahmed Shaker Nasser and businessman Abdel Ghany el-Gamal. Ramadan bags are traditionally distributed to poor families during Ramadan, and include food staples such as cooking oil, rice, beans, sugar, tea, and sometimes meat.
