Why I’m Ripping Up My Vote In The Egyptian Election

-OpEd-

CAIRO — If the elections were based on programs only, my support would certainly go to Farid Zahran, a candidate in Egypt’s presidential elections, given that the platform of his party, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, is closest to me and my views.

I would indeed cast my vote because I generally do not tend to boycott any electoral opportunity. As a voter, my requirements are modest: I do not seek a complete match between my ideas and the candidates’ programs.

But elections are not only about programs, especially in authoritarian countries where democratic practice is disrupted.

I do not tend to boycott elections because I consider boycotting the vote — as a political act — should be positive and active in the sense of a mass campaign, exactly like participation campaigns. Perhaps, it’s even more difficult.

On the rare occasions when I found this to be the correct political action, I went to the polling center and invalidated my vote – in 2012 and 2018 presidential votes, and the 2015 parliamentary elections.

Elections under authoritarian regimes

I believe that authoritarian regimes prefer that citizens don’t participate in elections, a way to further control their nation’s government and society. While Egyptians have begun voting this week in another presidential election in which President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi faces no serious challenger and is certain to win another term. Results are expected next week that will keep him in power until 2030.

The vote is taking place as global attention is focused on the bloody Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The vote is taking place as global attention is focused on the bloody Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, on Egypt’s eastern borders. The war also diverted the Egyptian public from the country’s domestic problems, including a staggering economic crisis.

El-Sisi faces three other candidates —Zahran, Abdel-Sanad Yamama, chairman of the Wafd Party and Hazem Omar, head of the Republican People’s Party. In the run-up to the elections, options were simple. There was a very democratic battle to collect the required public signatories for two presidential challengers, Gameela Ismail, and Ahmed Tantawi.

According to election regulations, each presidential hopeful should present either 25,000 authorized signatures from citizens across the country or receive the endorsement of 20 lawmakers.

The qualifying stage for candidacy ended with Tantawi’s forced exit from the race after his supporters were prevented from submitting their endorsements. Ismail, instead, withdrew three days before the end of the qualification stage in compliance with the decision of the supreme body of her party.

Tantawi, an ambitious politician, claimed that his campaign faced restrictions, including attacks and detentions of his supporters.

No democratic alternative 

Many institutions have monitored the massive violations that took place during the stage of collecting popular petitions. I was one of the victims of these practices and I submitted a report to public prosecutors.

Another candidate, Hazem Omar, provided 68,000 popular powers of attorney. In fact, I do not know how he gathered them, while I personally spent three days in front of different government offices trying to authorize my signature for Ismail. I never heard of a single citizen saying that he endorses Omar.

Opponents of the regime were left without any democratic alternative but Farid Zahran who succeeded in getting the required enforcement of lawmakers.

My issue with Zahran is how his party managed to win seats in the parliament, joining the 2020 parliamentary elections as part of the pro-government list that was the sole list on the voting cards. It was like a referendum with the sadness of knowing it wasn’t real. Zahran tried to justify the move as an “electoral, not political” alliance, but nobody believed that.

Although I usually reject the option of boycotting the elections or not participating in them, this time I found myself unable to convince myself and my party colleagues to participate in the presidential elections and vote for Farid Zahran as a bonafide democratic and opposition candidate.

I decided to participate, yes, but by invalidating my vote.