The youth of Qena Governorate, in upper Egypt, have tried to use reason in the approaching parliamentary elections – slated for March or April of this year– to encourage higher voter turn-out and to diminish the influence of parties that use religion, money or power in getting votes.

The youth of Qena Governorate, in upper Egypt, have tried to use reason in the approaching parliamentary elections – slated for March or April of this year– to encourage higher voter turn-out and to diminish the influence of parties that use religion, money or power in getting votes.

The revolutionary movements have been quick to prepare for the elections, including the “Shabab Abu Tisht” Movement which has launched the “Let us Choose” Campaign, which aims at briefing voters about the election mechanism and the importance of electing the MPs regardless of their affiliation and religion.

War against marginalization

“Let us Choose” Campaign held a meeting at Abu Tisht District Sports Club, in Qena Governorate, 400 kilometers south of Cairo. A small number of the city youth attended, although the elderly did not show up.

“At each preparatory meeting, before we visit any village, members provide us with suggestions about the points that should be discussed to convince the villagers of the importance of each vote and not to vote randomly,” said campaign coordinator, Muhammad Omar Nazer.

Nazer stressed that the initiative was based on the non-observance of any political orientations or ideologies. “It rather stems from what we have suffered as a result of the marginalizing injustice of the south, whether deliberate or not, in favor of calculations, policies and interests. We can call it a war against marginalization waged by 19 founding members and more than 100 participants,” Nazer explained.

Ideal candidate

Hani Abulwafa Muhareb, a campaign member, discussed the conditions a candidate should meet in order to be elected. An ideal candidate, he stresses, has permanent residence at the constituency, has a moderate national political background, is not inclined to a specific current at the expense of others, is renowned for community affiliation and rejects tribalism.

The campaign also recommends that the candidate should not be a figure known for his support to and primacy under the National Democratic Party (NDP).

Voter fatigue

At the Child and Youth Library in Abu Tisht, the campaign held a seminar for the population, but the turnout was small.

During the seminar, lawyer Ahmed Batea, a campaign member, said change needed combined efforts of all the constituency youth who supported the idea of using common sense rather than being misled by religious belief or selling votes in return for money or influence.

The campaign members also participated in the mass conference held by Badal Association for Community Development at the Youth Center in the village of Razqa, under the slogan of “We Can Participate” to educate citizens about the importance of participation in choosing the best candidates. Turnout was larger among women who expressed their concern regarding the coming elections since they had voted for the Islamic current’s candidates in the previous elections, but those, the women said, could not realize stability.

Voice of reason

Ayda Shahine, a teacher at Razqa, said, “The youths’ attempts to make us think and choose neutrally have forced us to re-consider our previous choices which have yielded an unchanged situation in the village.”

Dr. Hisham Muhammad Abdulaziz – from the village of Samhood – agreed with Shahine in that the development of the constituency would not be achieved through dictated policy or grants by top policies; rather, the constituency population should impose their demands and requirements since a candidate chosen by a specific party in the constituency was apparently not aware of them.

Tribalism

Mustafa Shatbi from Nag Hammadi said he welcomed and fully supported these campaigns and the idea of promoting the common sense and political awareness of the Upper Egypt population; however, the desired outcomes would be poor since tribalism was still responsible for the results of 75% of the seats.

Shatbi explained that clannishness, tribalism and sectarianism influenced the election in Upper Egypt and that public awareness still needed to be raised; which, he believes would take years for parties, political movements and civil society organizations to change the intellectual map and practice their activities away from personal and self interests and goals.

Shatbi stressed that the people were waiting for election-governing laws and that if the people felt the election under these laws would be transparent, the coming election would witness a large turnout like the previous elections.