Egyptian Election

For those who can find the common denominator.

There is a thread that connects these three recent stories on Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and his son (and possible successor) Gamal. Try to figure it out: 1. Mubarak to Nominate Himself for Elections, Rejects Constitutional Changes. Mubarak has renewed his rejection for the demands set by the Egyptian opposition to amend the constitution to choose the President of the Republic by direct elections among more than one candidate, 2. Egyptian Jailed after Calling for Open Elections. An opposition lawmaker, who had called for democratic elections in Egypt to put an end to decades of unopposed rule by President Hosni Mubarak, was sent to jail for 45 days, hours before the start of a long-awaited "national dialogue" on Egypt's political future. The abrupt arrest of Ayman Nour on forgery charges comes amid a mounting debate over Mubarak's seemingly open-ended run as president, along with a fresh discontent sparked by speculation that the president hopes to pass the job to his son someday. As head of the al-Ghad (Tomorrow) party, Nour had pushed for constitutional reform, an open election to replace the yes-no referendums that have repeatedly sent an unopposed Mubarak back to office, and a freer debate. The government has accused Nour of faking all but 14 of the thousands of signatures he collected to win permission to form his party. The 45-year-old lawmaker's parliamentary immunity was lifted over the weekend, and security officers raided his home, seizing computers and files. He told the judge that his arrest would "hinder the democratic process and reform in Egypt." He told an Egyptian rights group that he had been beaten during his arrest, and 3. Gamal Mubarak Slams U.S. over Democracy at World Economic Forum in Davos. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's influential son, Gamal, supported calls for reform, multi-party democracy and a more open society in the Arab world, including his own country. But he said Washington's failure to tackle the Palestinian issue undermined Arab reformers. "The core problem in the Middle East is the Arab-Israeli problem, the Palestinian problem. We are being accused these days of using it as an excuse to delay reform. But you are not helping reformers across the Arab world, in Egypt and any other countries, if this issue is relegated to a secondary priority.

Putting 2 and 2 together

1. While Gamal calls for supporting reformers in Davos, his father arrests reformers in Cairo, 2. If the Palestinian issue were resolved tomorrow, Ayman Nour would still remain in jail, and 3. Hosni Mubarak has no opponents to beat in the election, but his security forces beat Ayman Nour in jail.

In a nutshell...

1. Simply criticizing Mubarak directly and publicly in Egypt can get you thrown in jail, 2. Gamal Mubarak is insulting his audiences in Davos if he thinks they are stupid enough to buy his line while back home his father is jailing dissidents. 3. Middle East dictators constantly try to distract attention from their own repressive rule by pointing the finger at Israel - both to domestic and foreign audiences. 4. The crowd at Davos probably did buy Gamal's line, and 5. Sounds like an episode of the Sopranos.

1. Do you think that the Egyptian election for renewal of the ruling regime is fixed?, 2. If you think otherwise, do you believe that one person should not be let rule for such a long period of time?, and 3. Do you think that such a length of time discredit the ruling regime, i.e. Egypt is becoming a monarchy in disguise?