As it happened, the Egyptian Parliamentary Elections coincided with the Canadian Federal Elections. Both took place on October 19 though the first phase of the Egyptian one was over two days: October 18th and 19th. That’s as far as the comparison between the two elections goes. And if we are to compare, not contrast, we may as well stop here. Anyway, a study of how vastly different both elections are may help Egyptians understand the true meaning and value of voting.
In Canada, Canadians, tired of the Conservative Party, were ready for change. Steven Harper, the Conservative leader and Prime Minister, had ruled for almost a decade. Hence, voting strategically for whoever would beat the Conservatives was the goal.
Controversial issues overrode any of Harper’s successes. The anti-terrorist bill, C-51, is not just about terrorism. “It’s about granting greater powers to police authorities to target activities that could ‘undermine the security of Canada’.” Bill C-24 allows the government to revoke citizenship from dual citizens who are convicted of terrorism and other serious offences, but civil rights groups and Amnesty International say the law discriminates against dual citizens by suggesting they are somehow “less Canadian” and not necessarily entitled to the same rights as Canadian-born citizens.
Steven Harper ruffled even more feathers when he banned women wearing the niqab from taking the citizenship oath, infringing on a woman’s right to wear what she pleases—the courts struck that one down though. The Conservatives said they would also consider banning public servants from wearing the niqab, focusing on an issue that hardly exists. Basically Harper was dividing Canadians into “old stock” and “new stock.” End result, Canadians went out to vote in droves.
In comes the party which held only 37 seats of the 308 parliament seats and lagged in third place in July’s polls—the Liberals. In a stunning upturn, they captured 184 seats and landed a sweeping majority. Justin Trudeau, a 44-year-old labelled “Just not ready” in the negative ad by the Conservatives, ran a clean, positive campaign that called for change. And his positivity trumped over Harper’s negativity.
The mood across the country was electrifying, and the Liberals won fair and square. Trudeau, in his acceptance speech, stressed inclusiveness not divisiveness. The phrase “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian” will be remembered as Trudeau’s way of equating all Canadians. The story of the Muslim woman who told Trudeau that she will be voting Liberal because she wants to make sure that her little girl has the right to make her own choices in life and that her government will protect those rights will be remembered, too.
As far as voting rights go for Canadians, they take them very seriously. They also make their choices matter. This is why thousands of volunteers, as CBC called them, “ground warriors,” partake in this phenomenal event. These ground warriors worked for months leaving nothing to chance. They knocked on doors and phoned members of their constituencies to encourage them to go out and vote.
This while votes in Canada are never bought. The concept is totally foreign. Candidates work hard to convince voters of their platforms by travelling across this vast country to speak to Canadians. On the eve of election day, Justin Trudeau’s hoarse, scratchy voice was proof of the hours he spent convincing Canadians of his program.
And it didn’t end on election night. The morning after, Justin Trudeau was at a subway station in Montreal thanking early morning commuters for voting for him. Yes, a PR move since videographers surrounded him, but his effort will not go unnoticed.
One last very important issue—in 72 hours all the signs that doused lawns, streets, and sideways, in fact all the evidence to the fact that an election took place, will have been removed.
Now we come to the Egyptian Parliamentary Election, a significantly different ballgame. For starters had Mubarak realized that he had overstayed his welcome, similar to Harper, we wouldn’t be where we are today. But back to the elections, low turnout left polls eerily empty. Western media set turnout at about 10 percent. So here comes the question: Why did Egyptians opt not to participate in voting for their new parliament?
The first reason is sheer exhaustion. Egyptians had gone to the polls to elect presidents, elect parliaments, endorse constitutions, and accept or reject referendums too many a time in the last four years, and fatigue may have rendered them apathetic. Egyptians may also have thought that Egypt is in good hands already. Why need I go out of my way to vote? Let Sisi, whom I have already voted for, deal with it. Apathy? Absolutely.
But in all fairness, Egyptians remained confused about the process and the choices. Information about polls, candidates, parties, and guidelines were not easily accessible. Yes, one’s riding could be easily found, but one had to have access to internet. The Idiot’s Guide to Egypt’s Parliamentary Elections 2015 may be one of the very few explanatory guidelines to the electoral process.
Think about it. The difference between party-based candidates and independent candidates is confusing enough, but the lack of information on candidates and lists is even more confusing. The fear of choosing an Islamically inclined candidate, while unaware, may be another reason. If I don’t know enough about the candidates, how would I know if I am choosing wisely?
Had the electoral system in Egypt relied on a large base of volunteers, as the electoral system in Canada does, these supporters would have been out and about speaking to the uninformed, encouraging the slack, and explaining the unexplainable. But the brunt of this lack of knowledge falls upon the Egyptians themselves, who rely on others to spoon feed them the info.
In addition, some Egyptians opted to boycott the elections. Boycotters basically cut off their noses to spite their own faces. Instead of participating in the process to create the change they want, they preferred to stay out of the process to demand the same change. It doesn’t work that way.
The concept of buying votes, while utterly inconceivable in Canadian elections, is part and parcel of the system in Egypt. Poverty is the reason behind this demeaning approach. From meat to sugar to rice, candidates give to buy votes. To me, this is the epitome of disdain.
Finally, I sincerely hope that plastering signs on buildings has gone for keeps and that all other signs will be removed immediately once the elections end.
Canadians deserve the best. They’ve worked hard and they accomplished what they were out to achieve: change. As for Egyptians, that’s a different case altogether. I would’ve thought that apathy had gone by the wayside, but it doesn’t seem to be that way.
Comments