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Subscribe to RSSVoters will choose between a member of the old regime and the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Mursi. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
CAIRO -- Egypt's voters, already on edge after more than a year of rebellion and revolution, have been further polarized by Thursday's supreme court decision to dissolve the new Islamist-dominated parliament and allow a former prime minister to run for president.
Many see the decision - taken by judges appointed by deposed president Hosni Mubarak - to let old regime holdover Ahmed Shafiq run in this weekend's run-offs as a soft coup by the ruling military government.
Others think it as a second chance to wrest control of the parliament from the Islamists. Those who were frightened by Islamists' tremendous political gains since the revolution rejoiced after the court's decision.
"My friends were calling me and congratulating me," said the septuagenarian head of a prominent women's organization who asked to remain anonymous because she does not want to be seen as getting involved in politics. "At last we are done with that parliament. Any Egyptian on the street is worth more than them."
She didn’t vote in the first election but vows to brave long lines despite a bad knee to cast a ballot for Shafiq tomorrow.
Others who fear the return of the old regime lamented the court decision.
Dismay in Egypt as court orders newly-elected parliament to be dissolved
"How can we elect somebody who watched the massacre of protesters and stood by and did nothing?" demanded Aly Ibrahim, a plumber. "The people voted in the parliament. How does the court have the right to overturn the people's decision. It's not constitutional."
Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images
Egyptians protest in Tahrir Square on Friday in Cairo, Egypt, after the country's supreme court ruled that the Islamist-led parliament must be immediately dissolved, and also allowed the right of Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, to run for president.
Ibrahim is boycotting the vote because he sees the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohamed Mursi, as an academic not a political leader. But he said many in his blue-collar neighborhood of Al Arab who were also going to skip the election have now decided to vote for Mursi because of yesterday's court decision.
His comrades are not necessarily going to vote for Mursi because they support him. Instead, their ballot will be an act of revenge against what they see as the ruling military government and their bid to return of the old regime to power through Shafiq.
Ibrahim predicts violence during the voting, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday.
"There will be shooting at the polling stations [...] and if Mursi looses, Tahrir Square will be on fire," he said.
Egyptians protest against old regime day before presidential election
In an impassioned televised speech Thursday night, Mursi promised a second revolution if there is election fraud.
"I will pay with the price of my life," he promised.
Threats?
Many saw Mursi's words as a warning to foment unrest if he loses.
"Nothing but threats!" said Hanan Askar, housekeeper. "Now you see the true face of the Muslim Brotherhood. Mursi's promises during the election meant nothing."
"They want to take over everything and we will never get them out," she said.
In Egypt's elections, politics is a new family affair
Askar had planned on boycotting like most people in her low income-district called the Slaughterhouse.
Now she is going to go cast her ballot for Shafiq.
In Egypt's rural countryside, typically a conservative Muslim Brotherhood stronghold, veterinarian Abdul Sitar said people were enraged by the court decisions that snatched away the party's victory.
"Why would they overrule the will of the people," he argued. "The parliament was chosen by the people."
Ahmed Jadallah / Reuters
Presidential candidate Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood waves to a crowd outside a mosque after attending Friday Prayers in Cairo.
He is going to vote Mursi and said everybody in his area is even more committed to vote him in.
On her way home to Helwan, an industrial area south of Cairo, a cook said people on her bus were cheering "Shafiq, Shafiq!!"
She said nobody from her area is voting Mursi because, according to recent media reports, he is physically unfit to serve as president.
PhotoBlog: Egypt court rules Shafik can run in presidential election
The April 6 organization, which played an integral role in helping organize the revolution that toppled the former president, have already called for a march to Tahrir against yesterday's decision and against a Shafiq win.
The influential revolutionary movement has already endorsed Islamist Mursi to stop the old regime from rolling back whatever gains have been made since they toppled a dictator.
Nobody can predict who will win as voters go to the polls on Saturday and Sunday to make the hardest choice yet facing their young democracy.
But one thing is certain -- the future will be anything but boring and turmoil will ensue no matter what the result.
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Leave a Comment:
So, are they just going to protest for the next 100 years, or is there some sort of end game?
Yes........ No.......
That's what I thought.
The probability is that there will be several more Iran-like countries in that area....and our government encouraged it. It was never a fight for "democracy" as the Obama admin labled it.
they voted and the chose islamic rule...let them live with their choices.
Maybe Egypt needs a dose of Obama's "change we can believe in".
The army in Egypt is the only force standing in the way of Egypt becoming a Islamic Republic, Tunisia is holding on by it's fingertips, Libya will soon be , Syria is barely hanging on, Turkey (a nato partner) is using it's army to keep them out of power, how is this wonderful Arab spring working out for us ?
Egypt actually has a lot of Christians, or non believing free thinking people. Its hard for an Iran-like rule to take hold.
TFNJ....What do you think happened to the christians in the other countries that are going(or have gone) to straight radicalism??? Be prepared for a blood bath....and you will not even hear about most of it....
"But one thing is certain -- the future will be anything but boring and turmoil will ensue no matter what the result."
That's for sure. The Muslim Brotherhood overplayed their hand trying to take complete control quickly, but now it's 'back to the drawing board'.
This is actually good news for America, since it will prevent the anti-American Islamic radicals from taking over and changing the rules to maintain their control (rewriting the Constitution).
Our country is heading in the same direction because apparently countries elected officials, like our own are listening to the few with wealth rather than the majority. Money is buying governments all over the world and know America is heading in that direction. So much for democracy or the will of the people. Anyone who thinks the wealthy are spending millions in our elections are doing it for what's best for our country then we as a country deserve what we get. Corporate America has an agenda that will benefit them and them only so working class Americans had better wake up and realize voting for the corporate puppets will be selling our country to the highest bidder. The only way we can defeat them is at the ballot box and vote those scumbags out.
I understand that anything CAN happen, but I actually know a few Egyptians living here in NJ, and I can tell you they don't seem to be the same as you picture the typical middle eastern or North African person. These people will fight for their freedom more than other countries.
JK, they already have it. No job, no hope, no future. The Obama legacy moves on.
Well, welcome to the world of "democracy", Egypt....you'll find that nothing is clear cut, and that you'll be voting on issues that come as close as possible to reflecting the will of the people....but rarely the "precise will of the people..." We've been haggling with it for over 200 years---and still haven't got it down.
Oh well, at least you'll be able to protest "legally" without being killed for your positions.....I hope....
Violence in the Middle East? Someone is yanking our chains. This is brand new information!
Well, george shrugged when hamas won in gaza.
Ibrahim predicts violence during the voting, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday. "There will be shooting at the polling stations [...] and if Mursi looses, Tahrir Square will be on fire," he said.
So much for the 'will of the people' should they choose someone else, huh?
"Nothing but threats!" said Hanan Askar, housekeeper. "Now you see the true face of the Muslim Brotherhood. Mursi's promises during the election meant nothing." "They want to take over everything and we will never get them out," she said.
Why is it WE know this from 8,000 miles away, yet they (most of them) can't see this? They must be masochists, that's all I can imagine.
Steel Toed.... why ask why? Don't we have the same sort of masochistic wackadoodles here in the USA? LOL
The Muslim Brotherhood are the real traitors to their country.They want to put in a Sharia police state and eventually do away with the constitution and civil liberties.They must be put back where they belong...in prison!.They neither believe in a pluralistic,democratic or secular state and want to force their ideas down the throats of others.Neither women nor non Muslims will be safe.This is the real violence that Egypt faces.!
And yet they voted them into power, it sounds like the majority of egyptians want what the islamic brotherhood is selling, let them live with their horrific choice.
sboon398; Problem with letting them be; we equipped the Egyptian army with the best equipment in the world, we even built ,at a cost of 3 billion dollars, a m1a1 Abrams tank factory for them ,that can produce many tanks per week, (no nation has a heavy battle tank equal to the Abrams), something Israel knows well; when we built it a few years ago, Israel thought we had lost our minds, I think Israel may be correct.
SBOON "and yet they voted them into power", How many elections did Stalin lose? Fear for your life is an important campaign issue...
The war of religion goes on, no one can win!
Only so much can be done to help Egypt. And much was done. Let Egypt get the strength to clean its own house.
A quote from Vince "What The Hell Is Going On Out There?"
Could this happen in the US! Unemployment is out of control. The Government is anti-employer! Drug gangs are making money and funding Obama. Think about it!
go back to faux news you brainwashed, paranoid, delusional nut.
No.. it can not for many many more years!
We have something called balance of power in our government. It takes a lot of leaning for it to fall.
The rich volunteering and minority guilt crow has to grow a lot more to get the U.S. going.
Mike, you obviously haven't been watching what's going on....the latest declaration by Obama that "young illegals will be allowed to stay", is but just one example of "legislation from the throne" . Look around, Mike, you're missing the whole show!
Stranger.....I got nothing for you....you're beyond listening to common sense....
With the passage of the NDAA Bill (which is on hold for now,) it has become more reality than ever before.
Throw the drones in that list, and we are all history as to freedom. The comment that we are 8,000 miles away and can see it but they can't? They are probably saying the same thing about the US and our government.
Either, you like to die in WAR or you have never had WAR and have forgotten what war is like
WAR is NOT FUN....stop or die...stupid
Egypt will vote into office an Islamic government. So will Libya. So will Syria (as soon as the current problem settles down). None of these Islamic countries will be friendly with the west.
Much like Iraq and Libya, the people of Egypt need another heavy handed dictator to keep everyone in line because the alternative is an endless cycle of violence perpetuated under the pretense of religion and politics.
Works for me.
I don't think tyrannical dictatorship should ever be an answer---no matter how hard-headed the people may be. If it were, America as a whole would have qualified a long time ago....
Sono: Kind of reminds me of the USA.
Instead of going forwards..that country is going backwards to the stone ages!
Mike: Kind of reminds me of the USA.
We have the unions running our puppets! They have the military!
The breaking point may never come for Egypt! It takes a revolution with arms to fix this one!
Glad to see America waking up and seeing what runs amerika.
"The only thing necessary for evil men to triumph, is for good men to do nothing..." Abe Lincoln
The more Americans "refuse to vote", the more we keep "slip-sliding" away.
Thank God there is opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood.
They need a Pharaoh so they can start building pyramids and get everyone to work
Motivated by fear not hope. Sounds like a headline that could be used on our national elections in November. People are fearful obama might be "re-elected"
Nationalism beat religion as the governing force of Europe a while ago. Who knows if it will ever occur in the middle east though...
What happened to the great foreign policy success?
It was liberal bullcrap. Everyone knew the miltary was in charge when mubarek was there and know they are in charge now. I'm just happy the veil was lifted so the liberals can shut up.
"Ibrahim predicts violence during the voting, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday.
"There will be shooting at the polling stations [...] and if Mursi looses, Tahrir Square will be on fire," he said."
Here we go again: The Muslims will find any excuse to use violence as a means to achieve their political aims.
And we had Black Panthers trying to intimidate at our polls, and ACORN using criminal methods in acquiring votes...we can't really point fingers when it comes to fair elections......Democracy is messy, and it's everyone's duty to keep it as clean and fair as possible.... With over half of our country's voters not participating, that's a tall order!
I'm not referring only to elections. Violence as a means of conflict resolution is pervasive in the Arab/Muslim world. ACORN and Black Panthers were relatively small fringe groups.
I was wondering why there was no candidates who are neither part of the old government nor of the muslim brotherhood. An independant candidate is what they may need, at least the ones who are on the muslim brotherhood's side couldn't use the "fear of a return of the old regime" against the new guy.
Really? You did that headline?
I'm glad the Military will rule, who in their right mind would want Islamic fundamentalists in charge there. Egypt really looked bad when they put Hosni in a cage when he was so ill, I lost all respect for Islamic Parliment then.
Notice the word "fear". When you can control the populace through fear you can get them to agree to anything so long as it is supposedly preventing what they fear from happening.
For once the media got a headline right. "motivated by fear not hope". They know their fate if they dont comply with the radical muslims.
Why America is seeking to take from the enemies of yesterday's allies today?
Why the U.S. Secretary of State attacking on egypt Constitutional Court at all this violence?
Why the U.S. Secretary of State attacking on the Egyptian army, at all this violence?,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,?
It's depravity in foreign policy to be enemy number one for all the extremist Islamic currents in the Gulf region and be their ally, first in another part of it, Syria, Egypt and Gaza, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, including the killers of former President Sadat? That political immorality at the expense of the future of freedom and security in the district of the Middle East? ?
They are kind of farce, like which was signed by President Sadat with the Islamic currents and brought them out of prison in the 1976 and they killed him in 1981
Why America is seeking to take from the enemies of yesterday's allies today? it was successful yesterday in World War II, but it is useless today , because of the different cause , now its war of the authority of religion not the authority of war
Why the US Secretary of State attacking on egypt Constitutional Court at all this violence?
Why the US Secretary of State attacking on the Egyptian army, at all this violence?,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,?
It's depravity in foreign policy to be enemy number one for all the extremist Islamic currents in the Gulf region and be their ally, first in another part of it, Syria, Egypt and Gaza, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, including the killers of former President Sadat? That political immorality at the expense of the future of freedom and security in the district of the Middle East? ?
They are kind of farce, like which was signed by President Sadat with the Islamic currents and brought them out of prison in the 1976, they killed him in 1981, they killed him because of war of religion not war of authority like today
The Egyptians may not have liked Hosni Mubarak, but he at least kept the radical Muslims in line. Now, with shariah law, Egyptians will once again be free to rape and prosecute young women for being 'promiscuous' while celebrating the 'honor killings' shariah law allows in families where the women do not want to be slaves to overbearing, hairy dictatorial fat men.