CAIRO — Sixty years after their country came under military dictatorship, Egyptians are for the first time freely electing their president.
The voting that begins Wed-nesday is the greatest prize won by the multitudes who took to the streets to overthrow unpopular Hosni Mubarak in the series of people-power uprisings that upended the Middle East in last year’s so-called Arab Spring.
It is also a moment of truth for this most-populous Arab republic, determining whether power stays in the hands of the secular elite tied to the old regime or makes a momentous shift to the long-suppressed Islamists, with all the implications that such a change might have for relations with the U.S. and the Middle East peace effort.
Then again, most of the 50 million eligible voters will probably be looking for more modest returns — chiefly some peace and quiet after more than a year of turmoil, bloody protests, a falling economy and rising crime.
Whoever wins, “I want him to see to the security and safety problem first,” said Abdel-Rahman Shaker,55, a private security guard in Cairo. “If there is security, then we will have a better economy and production. I am looking out for my kids. I am working now, but we want a better life for our kids.”
However, the new chapter to be opened by this election is likely to be just as tumultuous, facing contentious issues that no one has dealt with since Mubarak’s fall: the economy; the role of Islam; the future of democracy; the relationship with the U.S., Egypt’s longtime backer; and the fate of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel.
The 15 months since Mubarak’s ouster have been defined by deadly street clashes involving protesters whose demands range from minority Christian rights through the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to the departure from power of the generals who have run the country since Mubarak stepped down.
More than 100 people have been killed in these clashes, including at least nine this month when protesters were attacked by armed men suspected to be supporters of the military.
At the same time, Egyptians are reveling in a new world of combative, televised politics, flesh-pressing politicians, pre sidential debates, rallies and hecklers.
“God and the people will guarantee that the next president will stay the course. If he does something wrong, we will kick him out,” said Al-Sayed Hassan Eid, 65, a worker at a Cairo orphanage. “People are now aware. Before, we couldn’t speak or open our mouth. There was state security who threatened to arrest us if we speak.
“The era of fear is now over.”
Timeline
Wednesday and Thursday: Presidential elections. None of the 13 candidates is likely to top 50 percent in voting.
June 16-17: Runoff vote
June 21: A president will be announced.
July 1: Generals promise to yield power by this date.
