The current political debate in Egypt over the upcoming elections and their relation the roadmap is still yet to be settled. Some have tried to put an end to this debate by calling for adopting a system of one-voter-for-two-ballot boxes (a system which allows the presidential and parliamentary elections to be held simultaneously). However, the implementation of this idea is not without numerous security challenges.
Presidential elections first
The current political debate in Egypt over the upcoming elections and their relation the roadmap is still yet to be settled. Some have tried to put an end to this debate by calling for adopting a system of one-voter-for-two-ballot boxes (a system which allows the presidential and parliamentary elections to be held simultaneously). However, the implementation of this idea is not without numerous security challenges.
Presidential elections first
The current roadmap states that the parliamentary elections should be held before the presidential ones, but some believe that holding the presidential elections first and modifying the roadmap is the best solution.
Dean of Cairo University and member of the Constitutional Revision Commission Jaber Nassar said the new Constitution gives Egypt’s president the right to change the roadmap and call for presidential elections ahead of the parliamentary ones.
Nassar expressed his support for holding the presidential elections first: “The law stipulates that parliamentary elections must be held within 60 days after endorsing the Constitution. However, this sixty-day period is not enough for the political parties to prepare for the parliamentary elections but is enough for all presidential candidates.”
Nassar underlined that there is nothing wrong in modifying the roadmap since the ultimate goal is the public good and, after all, the roadmap is not a sacred text.
Political Science Professor at Cairo University Hasan Nafaa believes that holding the presidential elections first is inevitable. He called upon the country’s political forces to agree on this issue because the current flawed system will cause tremendous problems if the parliamentary elections are held first. “The electoral alliances will be a main source of friction within the June 30 forces and if that happens, there will be no consensus over the presidential elections to be held. It is very important to hold the presidential elections first as this will send a message to the entire world that what happened on June 30 was a popular revolt rather than a military coup, as some believe. Moreover, once the chief politician of the country is elected, the economy will be put on the right track at a quicker pace,” he added.
Criticism
Not everyone, however, believes that holding the presidential elections first is a good idea.
Tamer Qadi, member of the political office of the Coalition of Revolutionary Forces, said he expressed to the interim president Adli Mansour during their last meeting, the coalition’s refusal to holding the presidential elections ahead of the parliamentary ones explaining that the Coalition is fearful that holding the presidential elections first will be deemed unconstitutional. He also emphasized that the coalition rejects the idea of electing a president before establishing the new parliament since such president would seize the legislative power and decree tailor-made laws.
Member of the coalition’s political office Amr Izz stressed that during the meeting held last month, the participants failed to agree on whether to hold the presidential elections first or let the transitional period go on as planned and hold the parliamentary elections. Izz demanded that the roadmap be kept unchanged in order to avoid any misinterpretation or controversy in addition to the fact that if the presidential elections were held first, the new president may affect the fairness and impartiality of the parliamentary elections. “Holding the parliamentary elections under the helm of the current interim president will ensure massive turnout and it will ensure that the will of the people is genuinely and fairly represented,” he concluded.
Parliamentary elections first to thwart suspicions
Shabaan Abdelaleem, advisor of Vice-president Mahmoud Zaki, called upon the interim president to thwart any constitutional suspicions and hold the parliamentary elections first in order to close the door against any potential challenges to the election results or to any presidential decision issued in the future.
Abdelaleem pointed out that holding the presidential elections ahead of the parliamentary ones would be unconstitutional and would violate article 142 of the new constitution which stipulates that endorsement of 100 MPs or 25000 votes of 25 governorates shall be required for such step, which will not be possible if the presidential elections were held first.
He also underlined that if that scenario would actually take place, the legitimacy of the new president will be challenged. “Before whom the new president shall be sworn into office?” he wondered.
As a member of Al Noor Party’s presidential council, Abdelaleem emphasized his party’s commitment to the roadmap in regards to holding the parliamentary elections first. However, although he believes that holding the presidential elections first will negatively affect the country, he underlined that his party will be flexible enough when bringing the presidential elections forward would be in favor of the country’s best interests.
Mahmoud Hubaish, Dean of Cairo University’s Law School, stressed the need for holding parliamentary elections first and avoiding changes to the constitutional declaration until all the country’s constitutional institutions are in place. He said holding the parliamentary elections before electing a new president would thwart any suspicions regarding the president’s influence over the electoral process, which presents unmistakable and important indications at present.
Hubaish underlined that a president in power will undoubtedly have an impact, even slightly, over the parliament and that influencing the parliamentary elections would not be in the best interests of the current interim government.
One-voter for two-ballot boxes
According to Kamal Islambulli, Head of the National Council and member of the Popular Pro-Nasser Movement’s Board of Trustees, the one-voter for two-ballot boxes is a great solution since judges and government employees will present in addition to voters so why not take this step, which will save billions of Egyptian pounds. “By adopting this system, we would achieve several gains including shortening the transitional period, cutting costs and avoiding having a parliament before having a president, which will have a positive impact on the electoral process since the presence of certain dominant parties would influence voters to favor a particular candidate. Moreover, the one-voter-for- two-ballot boxes system would guarantee that voters are not forced to go to the polls five consecutive times,” he explained.
Economic expert Salah Juda also believes that the one-voter-for-two-ballot boxes idea is the best option and that it would be politically and economically advantageous. He said no country in the world “spends these millions on election posters and stickers to make streets and walls so ugly.”
“Completing the elections in one day will save three million Egyptian pounds and will not force courtrooms and schools to close down. I call on the Ministry of Local Development to issue a decision forcing candidates to rent school walls and prominent spots at public squares to place standard-size billboards to advertise their programs. This would prevent the appearance of the streets from being marred and it also brings money to the treasury,” Juda said.
Security concerns over the feasibility of the system
Former deputy interior minister major general Ahmad Nabil believes that the idea is not feasible since security is a major concern. “We are witnessing tough political times. A portion of the Egyptian people has seen its leadership eliminated from the political scene and this made them hostile towards the Egyptian people in general and state institutions in particular. Those people will try to seize any opportunity to make their presence felt and to prove that they are still active in public life even by resorting to violence or destruction,” he stressed and concluded, “Securing both the presidential and parliamentary elections in one day is a nightmare for the security and armed forces because these people have been on the job nonstop without a rest since June 30 of last year.”
