- Election Coverage
- December 12, 2005
- 29 minutes read
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 2005, Al-Ahram Weekly
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 2005
| FIGHTING FOR VOTES: Under the pretext of “protecting the electorate and judges”, security forces prevented voters from reaching poll stations in many of the constituencies where run-offs took place. Several people were killed, and dozens injured, in the resulting pitched battles |
Battle scenes
Al-Ahram Weekly covers some of the heated run-offs that took place in the final round of parliamentary elections on Wednesday
’Overall positive’ says US
US officials, after closely watching Egypt’s parliamentary elections “on the ground”, appeared cautious not to antagonise Cairo, writes Khaled Dawoud from Washington
What Copts fear
Are the concerns of Copts following the gains the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood made in the parliamentary elections justified? Gihan Shahine finds some answers
Will it be different this time?
Although judges supervised yesterday’s final run-off, they vowed to step up their battle with the state if any electoral violations take place. Mona El-Nahhas investigates
Change in tactics
Gains made by the Muslim Brotherhood inspired the sudden change in election security tactics, reports Mustafa El-Menshawy
Dying to vote
Salonaz Sami spoke to an ordinary voter named Gomaa El-Zeftawy just half an hour before he was shot dead by police in Kafr El-Sheikh during the third round of parliamentary elections
The elections crises
Does the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood in the elections violate the constitution, asks Mohamed Sid-Ahmed
Critical mass and meltdown
Amr El-Choubaki on the choices now facing the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Democratic Party
The trials of democracy
Ballot boxes alone don’t make a country democratic. It is the political culture that needs to be democratised, writes Khalil El-Anani
Brothers and others
While the Muslim Brotherhood courts the Copts, doubts remain as to the movement’s credentials regarding religious and moral tolerance, writes Sameh Fawzi
| CHANGE IN TACTICS: Altering the ’neutral’ stance they took in the first round of the polls, security forces arrest a would-be voter in Tanta |
As tough as it gets
With the judges entering the fray, the final stage of parliamentary elections scheduled for today and Wednesday will be more contentious than ever, reports Gamal Essam El-Din
Hot spots revisited
Al-Ahram Weekly was on the scene as run-offs in the second stage of parliamentary elections took place in several governorates last week
Closer to the right role
Going into the final stage of parliamentary elections, judges supervising the polls are being given more guarantees than before. Will that, asks Mona El-Nahhas, end their ongoing struggle with the state?
Lessons learned
Amira Howeidy finds out why the Muslim Brotherhood is on target to win 100 parliamentary seats despite election fraud, violence and arrests
Political wastelands
The secular opposition is the biggest casualty of the parliamentary elections, writes Fatemah Farag
Doubts about parliamentary legality
Will the newly-elected parliament last? Gamal Essam El-Din explores the assembly’s legal and constitutional status in the wake of election violations and court appeals
’Stunning failure’
Rights groups say police interference in the balloting process and intimidation of judges and local monitors have further eroded the popularity of the ruling party. Gihan Shahine reports
In search of a new legitimacy
If parliamentary elections have proved anything it is that now is the time for change, writes Hassan Nafaa
Towards the renaissance
The Muslim Brotherhood’s success in Egypt’s parliamentary elections is based on its honesty, diligence and appeal as a mirror of Islamic heritage, writes Essam El-Erian
Mutual containment
The Muslim Brotherhood, far from adhering to defined principles, is a movement that employs political opportunism at will, writes Salah Eissa
Battling with illusions
There is both less and more to the struggle between the NDP and the Muslim Brotherhood than meets the eye, writes Samir Morcos
Israel and Egypt’s elections
Sharon’s surprise departure from the Likud in Israel and the gains made by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt’s parliamentary elections changed the landscape in both countries. Will this affect the relationship between them? Asks Mohamed Sid-Ahmed
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with a new reality
What will the ruling party do to recover the ground it has lost to the Muslim Brothers, asks Omayma Abdel-Latif
Who’s afraid of the Brotherhood?
Amira Howeidy explores what the Muslim Brotherhood’s success at the polls really means
Competition heating up
Last Sunday’s first round of the second stage of parliamentary elections was marred by violence. Al-Ahram Weekly’ s staff report from some of the country’s most heated constituencies
A different kind of fraternity
The Muslim Brotherhood seems to be gaining ground on university campuses as well. Mustafa El-Menshawy investigates
Bad day for the NDP
The ruling NDP took a beating in parliamentary elections at the hands of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, reports Gamal Essam El-Din
To be worse
Rights groups say this year’s parliamentary vote is as fraudulent and violent as past polls but with more serious repercussions. Gihan Shahine reports
Elections 2005
To what extent have Egypt’s parliamentary elections lived up to expectations, asks Mohamed Sid-Ahmed
Editorial: The fall of liberalism?
A chaotic day
Megaphones, money and ambivalent policemen were just some of the things seen by Al-Ahram Weekly reporters monitoring the parliamentary election run-offs
Better the first time
Rights groups said violence, fraud and vote-buying marred Tuesday’s run-off elections. Gihan Shahine reports
Reality hits hard
Promises of a reformed People’s Assembly look further from reality than ever, writes Gamal Essam El-Din
Hardly a sore loser
Defiant after losing his parliamentary seat to the NDP, Ghad Party Chairman Ayman Nour tells Mona El-Nahhas he’s already preparing for the next battle
Nailing colours to the mast
Coverage of the first round of elections saw the Egyptian press pinning its bias to its sleeve,writes Fatemah Farag
Tough week for election press
Over the past few days, journalists have been assaulted, and prevented from doing their jobs. Mustafa El-Menshawy investigates
Battle of the blogs
The arrest and then release of an Alexandria blogger has pushed the vibrant Egyptian blogosphere into the limelight. Amira Howeidy talks to some of its stars
After political Islam?
Despite its significant gains, the Muslim Brotherhood still needs to decide how to balance its social and governmental aspirations, writes Khalil El-Anani
As the polls opened yesterday for the first round of the three-stage parliamentary elections, repeated promises that Egypt has embarked on a radical process of democratisation and reform were being tested in real time
Begging to differ
Transparent ballot boxes, monitors, a flamboyant Muslim Brotherhood campaign: the parliamentary elections certainly feel different this time round. But are they really, asks Amira Howeidy
Unexpected results?
There may be more run-offs than clear finishes once yesterday’s votes are tallied. Gamal Essam El-Din surveys the scene
When less is more
Local monitors said the first round of parliamentary polls was calm and with less fraud than usual. Gihan Shahine wonders what this means
No Intifada this time
Judges seem to be banking on a government promise that low-key supervision of parliamentary polls will result in the long awaited approval of their draft law. Mona El-Nahhas interprets their new stance
The MB conundrum
Amira Howeidy examines the shifting relationship between the state and Muslim Brotherhood
Money talks as candidates walk
The lead up to this year’s polls featured a mix of both newer and more traditional methods of campaigning. Mustafa El-Menshawy reports
Autumn of polls
Egypt’s recent experience of elections shows that the opposition has much work, and much thinking, still to do, writes Amr Hamzawy
Editorial: Practical manifestos
Reform without reformers
Is the influence of the NDP’s pro-reform wing ebbing, asks Omayma Abdel-Latif
The business of taking over politics
Magnates versus tycoons, and businessmen versus politicians: Gamal Essam El-Din looks at the key money-based races in the forthcoming parliamentary elections
A willing contestant
What are the chances of a Coptic woman winning against the ruling party and 10 men in the working class district of Shubra? Mona Makram Ebeid tells Fatemah Farag that whatever the odds, it is worth the try
Very little for small fish
The nation’s smallest parties will probably sink even deeper into oblivion after the parliamentary polls are over, reports Mustafa El-Menshawy
Taking their chance
Mohamed Habib, deputy supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, talks to Amira Howeidy about the group’s parliamentary elections tactics
Cracks in the façade
How much unity is there in the United National Front for Change, asks Fatemah Farag
The politics of selection
Alieddin Hilal tells Omayma Abdel-Latif that it is not business as usual in the National Democratic Party
See for yourself
The president says local monitors will be allowed to observe next month’s parliamentary elections. But will this guarantee a fair poll, asks Gihan Shahine
Hemaya aims to assess MPs
A new movement seeks to protect voters’ rights in the upcoming parliamentary elections and beyond, reports Mohamed El-Sayed
In the run up to the 2005 parliamentary elections, Al-Ahram Weekly will be surveying the nation’s political scene. This week Mona El-Nahhas explores the Ghad Party, interviews its parliamentary list and interviews its leader
Attacked from all sides
Ghad Party leader Ayman Nour spoke about the turmoil surrounding his party, and how it might affect its performance in the coming polls
Testing times
Has there really been a radical shift in the NDP’s way of thinking? Omayma Abdel-Latif explores the transformation — or lack thereof — within Egypt’s ruling party over the last five years
Party’s old guard prevails
The NDP’s closely-guarded list of parliamentary candidates has finally been released. It’s full of surprises, reports Gamal Essam El-Din
