Elections 'nightmare scenario' leaves Egypt revolutionaries in shock

[JCMach1]

It is all doom and gloom for the Egyptian pro-democracy activists who strove in last year's January Revolution to bring an end to Hosni Mubarak's 30-year authoritarian rule.

A sombre mood hung over many Friday evening after learning that neither liberal ex-Muslim Brotherhood figure, Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh, nor leftist candidate, Hamdeen Sabbahi, made it to the final run-off round of this historic presidential election.

Rubbing salt into the wound, the Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi and Ahmed Shafiq, who served as prime minister in Mubarak's final days in power, came first and second, respectively, following two days of voting which kept millions of Egyptians holding their breath...

.

Many revolutionaries, however, remained either undecided or opted for boycotting the runoff election altogether. Nawara Negm, one of the country's most prominent revolutionary bloggers tweeted: "The Muslim Brotherhood are liars and the Military are treacherous, and thus we are boycotting, boycotting. Down with the rule of the Military and the Brotherhood."... http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/36/122/42909/Presidential-elections-/Presidential-elections-news/Elections-nightmare-scenario-leaves-Egypt-revoluti.aspx


Egypt is becoming a real nightmare. Mursi, for example, has called for the repeal of the ban on female genital mutilation AND laws protecting women from sexual harassment.

Another recent quote from Mursi:

“The Koran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader, jihad is our path and death in the name of Allah is our goal,” Mursi apparently said in an election speech at Cairo University on Saturday evening. “Today we can establish Sharia law because our nation will acquire well-being only with Islam and Sharia. The Muslim Brothers and the Freedom and Justice Party will be the conductors of these goals.”... http://www.theblaze.com/stories/muslim-brotherhoods-egyptian-presidential-candidate-jihad-is-our-path-death-in-the-name-of-allah-is-our-goal/

[Alamuti Lotus]

1. Sabbahi's strong performance is being really underreported

given how much money the Gulf dictators were throwing at this thing, I was a little surprised to see a really and truly decent candidate make such a strong showing. He even trounced the Brotherhood in the Delta and in Cairo slums that used to be "Islamic militant" strongholds in the time of the US/Israel pharaoh.