Egypt’s electoral body will soon announce former-regime-Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq as the country’s new president, according to several government sources, despite much of the polling showing his opponent as the victor.
One source in the current government said that Shafiq will be declared victor with 50.7 per cent of the vote, which is likely to be strongly disputed by the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, Mohamed Mursi, who himself publicly predicted victory.
Both candidates have accused the other of lobbying Egypt’s power centers and pressuring the electoral authorities before the result was declared.
Egyptians are out in droves protesting in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, skeptical of how free and fair the election has been and will turn out to be. Shafiq is the former Prime Minister under ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak. A win for him will represent an enormous step backwards to most Egyptians who had hopes of overthrowing the corrupt, undemocratic system.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s military rulers in the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) vowed to “deal firmly” with anyone who obstructs the political process, which many suspect SCAF has tarnished. SCAF has usurped new powers, disqualified leading presidential candidates, given itself sweeping control over the budget and drafting Egypt’s new constitution, and has moved to dissolve the newly elected parliament.
The U.S. is still sending billions of dollars in aid to Egypt and continues to arm the military rulers, even as they have brutalized peaceful protesters and inhibited a swift return to civilian rule.
“After the disbursement of US military aid (by the administration exercising its waiver) in 2012,” writes Egyptian journalist Issandr El Amrani, “the lack of strong reaction to the Egyptian military killing over 150 protestors and imprisoning thousands more during 2011–2012, and the lack of strong reaction to the complete perversion of the transition process (especially in the last week), I don’t think you can say the Obama administration has taken a pro-democracy position on Egypt.”
Both candidates are of the rich ruling class and both would continue to enslave the lower half of society with a $3.40 a day minimum wage. But Mursi is a billionaire, so he no doubt will win.
What? Were you posting about Romney versus Obama and got the wrong name and the wrong article?
The Egyptian Supreme Court has been taking classes on how to appoint "presidents" from the US Corporate Supremos.
I don't think what's happened in Egypt is a surprise, considering how over the decades successive American governments have dictated matters in the Arab world, installing and supporting pliant regimes to serve American interests. It may have taken the American government some time, but they eventually got to grips with the so-called Arab "Spring", and they have their man in power in Egypt, Tantawi, and the torturers are still at large. Did anyone really think the Americans would allow democracy would come to Egypt?
Egypt is important to the U.S. – the country with the largest Arab population, control of the Suez Canal, a large and active Muslim Brotherhood, and very importantly for the paymasters of American politics, Aipac, , an "ally" of Israel (to Egypt's shame it must be said, for Egyptian complicity in Israeli crimes is shameful).
The Arab "Spring" hasn't done much good for Arabs, has it? Apart perhaps from Tunisia, what happened in Egypt, in Libya, and is now happening in Bahrain and Syria, and may happen in Lebanon if the conflict escalates, is more like an Arab nightmare than a "Spring". I don't think we'll be expecting any more additions to the Arab "Spring", considering the results so far.
I don't think what's happened in Egypt is a surprise, considering how over the decades successive American governments have dictated matters in the Arab world, installing and supporting pliant regimes to serve American interests. It may have taken the American government some time, but they eventually got to grips with the so-called Arab "Spring", and they have their man in power in Egypt, Tantawi, and the torturers are still at large. Did anyone really think the Americans would allow democracy would come to Egypt?
If Shafiq is named the winner, the junta may not last long. In Egypt the genie is out of the bottle and won’t go into the bottle again.
America can't pay its school teachers. The MIC must go.
Amerikan's big stinkin nose. Where it doesn't belong—again..
Louis
“America can’t pay its school teachers.”
Since 1945 our Empire has plundered a forth of world wealth, so why have our rich ruling class decided to make the American people ignorant and unskilled?
Because China can manufacture parts cheaper, Mexico can assemble everything faster and in a global economy its dog-eat-dog and survival of the fittest.
Root cause of the problem being our competition based morality, the illusion that only high achievers deserve to own things. Problem is, owning things especially land, this destroys the ability of nature to properly regulate the perpetual life of things. Giant timber corporations destroying all the vegetation and wildlife by covering the earth with pine needles, giant ranchers over-grazing causing sever erosion, strip-top mining, crude oil pollution, that sort of thing.
Democracy in the American Sphere of Influence.
One has to wonder if democracy in Egypt hasn't been sacrificed in order for Israel and the US save face backtracking from war with Iran. With Egypt again under US control (via the generals), Israel secures its' southern border again- and I have to wonder if this isn't one of the reasons the tone and pace of the anti-Iran rhetoric seems to have died down bit in the last month or so. With Israel not pushing as hard for war, the US gets more breathing room (which may help explain Hillary's comments of a few days ago which indicated war with Iran would have long-term negative consequences for the US), and everybody gets to step back and let the Iran issue cool off for a while. Israel and the US realize now that Iran is no pushover- as they had hoped it would be- and another war is the last thing the US needs and Israel is incapable of taking on Iran alone.
So, as a result, the US-backed Egyptian military get the green light from Panetta two weeks ago to do whatever necessary to maintain order in Egypt, which is nothing more than political code to stage a de facto coup and install a US-leaning Mubarak leftover. Shades of Operation Ajax in '53? Israel gets a secure south again, and the US doesn't get sucked into a potentially devastating war with Iran. Win for all concerned, right? Sure, for everyone but the Egyptian people, who have been- once again- thrown under the bus in pursuit of Western and Israeli interests.
Once all of this comes to pass, we will have precipitated another revolution in Egypt similar to that of the '79 revolution in Iran- and that just might give Egypt and Iran common ground to unite over: a shared hatred of the US for its political meddling.
Briiiiing, briiiing…Hello…General??!! Washington here…Listen buddy…we just can't have this Muslim Brotherhood guy winning – might tick off the Israelis and you know how they are when they get ticked off…so…how about just doing like we did back in 2000…just name the loser..I mean..the opponent and when the shouting is all over, things will go back to normal… the check will be in the mail just like usual…Thanks!!!