مقارنة سريعة بين مرشحي الرئاسة في مصر

وجدتها على بعض المواقع. أختلف مع بعض ما بها، ولكن أعجبني جدا الجزء الخاص بأحمد شفيق :)

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Why I Feel Disappointed By Egypt's New Constituent Assembly

Committee that drafted Egypt's 1923 Constitution

As I regard the final list of the 100 members of Egypt's Constituent Assembly and the dominance of two hegemonic political powers over it, I cannot help but experience a bitter feeling. All I can see is another potential glorious moment squandered for a nation in desperate need for one.

Whereas I remain mindful of the well-deserved dominance of the FJP and Al-Nour over parliament, as well as their right to exercise their earned position on policy issues as the majority in Parliament, I remain staunch in my conviction that the Constituent Assembly and Egypt's next constitution are matters that transcend parliamentary seating distributions.

This constitution is set to represent all of Egypt. It is hoped to be a perfect document, though a constitution never is, and amendments will always take place by force of time and evolution, trial and error. But it was vehemently critical that this constitution of all constitutions carries the equal weight of Egypt's entire political spectrum behind it.

First, this should be the first free constitution to be drafted in the history of Egypt. While I do accept that SCAF's reign tarnishes the "freedom" of this constitution, yet this Constitution has the chance to become the pure work of democratically-elected Egyptian hands, and not colonial, monarchical, and other expressly dictatorial forces. Even further, this constitution will be drafted after a revolution that was the first of its kind for the nation, in which countless lives were sacrificed, and continue to be, for this honour and right as citizens of this nation. Perhaps it might not end up being an entirely freely-drafted constitution, but it should at least end up being our freest ever.

Second, most of the parties which had participated in the parliamentary elections were new parties that had been founded less than one year ago, whose members and candidates did not have sufficient-to-any electoral experience, and/or did not have the ground network or finances that would allow them to campaign effectively. As a result, while FJP and Al-Nour would have probably dominated either way, the weight of such a dominance could have significantly been different had the new parties been better prepared. I accept that these past words might stench with the phrase "sore loser" indeed, but I am genuine in my convictions.

There was a political phase in Egypt right after the revolution that I refer to as "Post-Revolution Politics", characterised by a greater non-partisan rhetoric, and more active and sincere efforts at national reconciliation, coalition building, and group decision making. This was the form of politics we needed to see in this Constituent Assembly and in the deliberative and procedural processes leading to it. Instead, we ended up witnessing the uninspiring conduct of standard "Party Politics", wherein each side tries to get as much as what they can. It was both too early for that, and hardly the occasion for it as well. I realise the naiveté of the idealism of what I am writing, but revolutions are founded upon a degree of idealism, naive or belligerent. And, well, we actually did just have a revolution.

While there are many respectable and undebatable names on the final list of members of the Constituent Assembly, I reiterate once more that all elements of the political spectrum should have had more equal representation in this grouping of men and women drafting the future of Egypt. This was my position in February of 2011 right after the revolution, remained my position in the October right before the elections, and continues to be my position as I write these words at this moment in time.

And while we're on the subject of "men and women drafting the future of Egypt," there should have been more women.

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List of Egyptian Official Presidential Candidates - قائمة بمرشحي الرئاسة المصرية الرسميين

This is an ongoing list of official Egyptian Presidential Candidates. These are the candidates who have officially acquired either the 30,000 citizen endorsement signatures, support of 30 MP, or the official support of a political party that has at least one MP in Parliament, and have submitted their candidacy papers to the Presidential Elections Committee.


It should be noted that more than 1320 people gave obtained the presidential nomination documents, until now.

هذه قائمة مستمرة بأسامي المرشحين الرسميين للرئاسة المصرية. هؤلاء هم من حصلوا على ٣٠ الف توكيل، دعم ٣٠ عضو بالبرلمان، أو الدعم الرسمي من إحدى الأحزاب الممثلة ولو بعضو واحد في البرلمان، وقدموا أوراقهم رسميا للجنة الإنتخابات الرئاسية.

وجدير بالذكر أن أكثر من ١٣٢٠ شخص كانوا قد سحبوا أوراق الترشح للرئاسة، حتى الآن.

1- Abul-Ezz El-Hariri: supported by the Socialist Popular Alliance Party.

2- Hossam Khairallah: supported by the Democratic Peace Party.

3- Ahmed Mohammed Awad Aly: supported by the Egypt National Party.

4- Mohammed Abdel-Fattah Mohammed Fawzy: supported by the Generation Democratic Party.

5- Amr Moussa: received 30,000 citizen endorsement signatures or more.
6- Abdel Men'em Abul-Fotouh: received 30,000 citizen endorsement signatures or more.
7- Mohammed Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail: received 30,000 citizen endorsement signatures or more.
8- Hisham Al-Bastawisi: received endorsement of the Rally (Tagammu') Party
9- Mahmoud Hossam El-Din Mahmoud: received 30,000 citizen endorsement signatures or more.
10- Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Gharib: received 30,000 citizen endorsement signatures or more.
11- Mohammed Selim Al-Awwa: received 30 endorsements from sitting MPs or more.
12- Mohammed Khairat Al-Shater: received 30 endorsements from sitting MPs or more.
13- Ahmed Shafiq: received 30,000 citizen endorsement signatures or more.
14- Hamdeen Sabbahy: received 30,000 citizen endorsement signatures or more.
15- Ayman Nour: received endorsement of the Tomorrow Of The Revolution (Ghadd'ul Thawra) Party.

١- أبو العز الحريري: حصل على دعم حزب التحالف الشعبي الإشتراكي.

٢- حسام خير الله: حصل على دعم حزب السلام الديمقراطي.

٣- أحمد محمد عوض على: حصل على دعم حزب مصر القومي.

٤- محمد عبد الفتاح محمد فوزي: حصل على دعم حزب الجيل الديمقراطي.

٥- عمرو موسى: حصل على ٣٠ الف توكيلا أو أكثر.
٦- عبد المنعم أبو الفتوح: حصل على ٣٠ الف توكيلا أو أكثر.
٧- محمد حازم صلاح أبو إسماعيل: حصل على ٣٠ الف توكيلا أو أكثر.
٨- هشام البسطويسي: حصل على دعم حزب التجمع.
٩- محمود حسام الدين محمود: حصل على ٣٠ الف توكيلا أو أكثر.
١٠- إبراهيم أحمد الغريب: حصل على ٣٠ الف توكيلا أو أكثر.
١١- محمد سليم العوا: حصل على دعم ٣٠ عضو من مجلسي الشعب والشورى أو أكثر.
١٢- محمد خيرت الشاطر: حصل على دعم ٣٠ عضو من مجلسي الشعب والشورى أو أكثر.
١٣- أحمد شفيق: حصل على ٣٠ الف توكيلا أو أكثر.
١٤- حمدين صباحي: حصل على ٣٠ الف توكيلا أو أكثر.
١٥- أيمن نور: حصل على دعم حزب غد الثورة.

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Cairo And Alexandria In 1930 - القاهرة والإسكندرية عام ١٩٣٠

In the third of a series of videos showing life in earlier times in Egypt, this time I give you these two videos. Said to be shot by two American honeymooners in 1930, the video shows a remarkably different Egypt, and an amazing breath of history.

Here are also links to the first two videos: Egypt in the 1960s, and Egypt in 1938.

في الحلقة الثالثة من سلسلة الفيديوهات التي تظهر تاريخ مصر والحياة فيها منذ عقود، أعرض عليكم هذان الفيديوهان، وهما تصوير زوج وزوجته أمريكييان جائا ليقضيا شهر عسلهما في القاهرة والإسكندرية عام ١٩٣٠. الفيديوهات تظهر مصر مختلفة تماما، وهما أقرب ما يكون من تاريخ إعتقدنا أننا فقدناه إلى الأبد.

وهذه روابط للفيديوهات السابقة: مصر في الستينيات، ومصر عام ١٩٣٨.

Videos via @MaissaHosni

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Video: Daily Life In Cairo In 1938 - فيديو: الحياة اليومية في القاهرة عام ١٩٣٨

I've shown you before a rare video of life in Egypt in the 1960s. Well, here is something even more spectacular and rare. Life in Cairo in 1938.

نشرت من قبل فيديو نادر عن الحياة في مصر في الستينيات من القرن الماضي. الآن، أنشر فيديو أكثر ندرة عن الحياة في القاهرة عام ١٩٣٨. تكاد تكون مدينة أخرى.

Here's where I got the video.

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لقاء قصير مع مرشح حزب الحشاشين للرئاسة

في إطار حملتي لتغطية الإنتخابات الرئاسية المصرية، وجهدي لتقديم المرشحين الأقل شهرة، أقدم لكم لقاء مع مرشح... "حزب الحشاشين."

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Is The Occupy Movement Dead?

(Note: In light of plans for an Occupy Wall Street rally on Saturday in Zuccotti Park, and OWS having less than $117,000 in their bank account from increasingly dwindling donations, I write down this piece.)

By early 2011, the Arab world was engulfed in massive socio-political upheaval. A series of protests of various sizes and forms, all calling for greater democracy and the advancement of human rights, an end to political and economic corruption and mismanagement, and the obliteration of the monopoly over power by the old regimes, all were taking place in nearly every Arab state. Western audiences took notice, and, all while acknowledging direct inspiration from Tunisia and Egypt, decided that there was much to uprise against in the their countries as well. A familiar sequence followed. Anger expressed in traditional and alternative media, Twitter hashtags and Facebook pages surfaced and, shortly after, people took to the streets.

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UPDATED: Top Figures NOT Running For The Egyptian Presidency

Update: your picks have been added at the end.


---


In less than one week, Egypt has seen more than 660 obtain Presidential nomination documents. I have tried to write a full list of pre-candidates, but the effort proved too daunting. So instead, I have decided to write a smaller and more logical list, a list of the most important figures not running for Egypt's Presidency. Please note that this is an OPEN LIST, which means it is subject to further updates in the future. Please write your suggestions for people you believe should be on this list in the comments below, as well as who is your favourite non-candidate.

And the top figures not running for the Egyptian Presidency are:


1- The Man Behind Omar Soleiman:


Known for: Being the most powerful man in the world.
Why not running: Already the most powerful man in the world.

2- The Mubarak Family:

Known for: They ruled Egypt for 30 years.
Why not running: Well, it's complicated. You see, there was this revolution, and...

3- Ahmed Spider:

Known for: R&B Artist, leading activist, inspiring civil-resistance figure, TV host, art-connoisseur.
Why not running: he would say "Wa2ees Gomhoweyya."

4- Tawfiq Okasha:

Known for: Leading Politician, TV Host, visionary, and duck-enthusiast.
Why not running: something unclear regarding mistaking the price of "gargeer." (tr. Arugula.)

5- Farid El-Deeb:

Known for: Lawyer of Mubarak and other controversial figures.
Why not running: we don't know, and it saddens us. You ask if it really saddens us? Ommaaaaalll!!!

6- Hassan Abul-Einein:

Known for: ...Political activism?
Why not running: Other engagements.

7- Galabeyya Man:

Known for: storming cameras during an Egypt-Tunisia football match.
Why not running: he stormed cameras during an Egypt-Tunisia match.

8- The Teddy-Bear from the "Monazzamet El Dabdoub El Dawly" (Picture is an approximation)

Known for: being a teddy bear, spy and an assassin, after rumours surfaced regarding the Egypt activities of the "Good Bears Of The World" foundation.
Why not running: avoiding attention after the NGO trial.

9- Amr Mostafa:

Known for: Leading Egyptian musician, artist, mathematician and strategic thinker.
Why not running: fighting international conspiracies facing the nation. Determined to stop the evil subliminal-messaging plans of Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Vodafone.

10- Sheikha Magda:

Known for: claims "Mubarik" is of holy lineage, and described what seemed to have been an Iranian invasion of Egypt during the revolution. She says that the leading Iranian invading officer recognised her instantly ("Oh, it's Sheikha Magda!"), and spoke to her at length about their plans.
Why not running: busy in her work as a healer.

11- El-Sherbiny Khamis:

Known for: Avant-garde icon, exploding onto the social media scene several months ago.
Why not running: Under forty years of age.

12- The cast of Romero Cheese TV-Ad:

Known for: seem like nice people, but they have taken part in the most horrifying and haunting TV ad of last year. They have not yet been forgiven.
Why not running: Under forty years of age.

13- Some Egyptian Squirrels:

Known for: being squirrels. They eat nuts.

Why not running: fundraising challenges. Also, they are squirrels.

14- Ghida Nouri:

Known for: Egypt's most famous person for some time after an appearance on Bassem Youssef's TV show.
Why not running: she is under 40, and non-Egyptian.

15- Amr Hamzawy:


Known for: a leading Egyptian liberal politician and former leading national celebrity bachelor.
Why not running: he just got married. Women are thus too angry, and won't vote for him again this fast. Must wait till the next elections. (Note: he actually turned out to be quite a good MP, and deserved being elected. I mean it. Respect.)

16- Al-Molaththam: 

Known for: blowing up the gas line more than 15 times.
Why not running: Too busy in his day job as an Investment Banker.

17- Abu-Yahya, the "Eloquent Baker:


Known for: took social media by storm. A baker, who makes a lot of sense, received the popular title "The Eloquent Baker."
Why not running: He heard that elections require a lot of "dough" (I am sorry, worst joke I ever made.)

18- Nehal Ahdy:

Known for: Wafd liberal parliamentary candidate, described as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbUpGoOjFWw
Why not running: under forty years of age.

19- Mohammed Adel (aka "Al-Ka2ed - الكائد")


Known for: revolutionary youth leader, reluctant hero, most gentle revolutionary, leading "Nintendo Wiiiiiiii champion," and the first person to introduce "Dettol wet wipes" into revolutions.
Why not running: under forty years of age. We hope.

20- Hayatem:

Known for: I should not explain this one.
Why not running: I should not explain this one.

                    

21- Egyptian Tank Man:

Known for: being one of the bravest people ever.
Why not running: because we don't know who he is, and we hope he is alive, safe, and gets the respect and appreciation he deserves. When he turns forty, perhaps he should run for the Presidency.

UPDATED:

Following the massive response to this piece, I received your recommendations for who else should be on this list. After counting and tabulating, here are your picks.

1- Afaf Shoaeb and nephews:

Known For: Egyptian actress, gained fame during the revolution for suggesting her nephews rely perhaps a bit too much on pizzas, kebab's and rib steaks on a daily basis for nutrition. Also, she came up with news during that same time of a unique conspiracy regarding some trained foreigners trying to steal Egyptian tanks by pretending to be soldiers and learning who to speak, after long practice for months, Egyptian Arabic.

Why Not Running: the nephews, of course. And as for the nephews themselves, they are two years old or something, still under the legal age of running.

2- Tamer from Ghamra:

Screen capture of the phone call

Visual Approximation of Tamer

Known For: being the most sensitive citizen in the world. His passionate and tearful phone call during the revolution, warning of anarchy and chaos all around him, moved millions of Egyptians to tears. Some, however, experienced a severe case of diarrhoea, episodes of which still recur for people whose televisions were over 50% of maximum possible volume at the time of the aired phone call.

Why Not Running: would not be capable of handling the emotional turmoil of it all. Politics are tough, man.

3- The Heba Sex Call Couple:

Known For: a leaked recording of a heated phone call between a girl supposedly named Heba (who is apparently in a relationship but still keeps an open eye) and a gentleman exploding with hormonal passion. Heba comes off as a player who uses everyone to her advantage, while the unidentified man is seen to be extremely in an evolutionary need for mating in order to pass on his genes. However, his greatest claim to fame comes from apparently coining the term "enterlobb" to refer to his gentleman parts.

Why Not Running: attack ads against them would destroy them from the first week. Campaign would be futile.

4- The Mysterious Rastafarians:

These particular Rastafarians have fantastic abs.

Known For: during controversy over protests in (I think) November, some official argued there were men in ponytails/braided hair and similar costumes infiltrating the protests to apparently incite and agitate people, while providing them with supplies to maintain the protest and sit-in.
Why Not Running: they are, apparently, Jamaicans.

5- Khaled Ali:

The 80s and the 90s were fantastic times.

Known For: an Egyptian singer who appeared on the music scene during the 90s, yet seems to be currently somewhat off the grid. When current candidate Khaled Ali, a rights lawyer with the same name, was floated as an idea for a potential "revolutionary candidate," many Egyptians spent up to a week thinking it was the now-elusive singer who was planning the run, sparking some very memorable commentary. 

Why Not Running: the Egyptian people still haven't forgiven him for that T-shirt.

And there you have it.

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من أنت؟

من أنت؟

السؤال الذي ستقضي عمرك كله محاولا إجابته.

من أنت، بعيدا عما يمليه عليه من حولك؟

 من أنت، بعيدا عما قيل لك من أهلك والأقربين أنه الصواب وأنه الخطأ؟

من أنت، بعيدا عما تعتقد فيه، وبعيدا عما قيل لك أنت تعتقد فيه؟

 من أنت، بعيدا عما يتوقعه منك الكل؟

 من أنت، بعيدا عما تتوقعه من نفسك، أو تعتقد أنه سقف ما تقدر عليه أو ما هو مسموحا لك؟

من أنت، بعيدا عن كل الأماكن التي رأيتها ولم تراها والتي قيل لك إنها موجودة أو ليست موجودة؟

من أنت، بعيدا عن الموسيقى والأشعار التي سمعتها ولم تسمعها، ما تذوقت وما لم تتذوق، ما حلمت به وما لم تحلم، ما إشتهيت وما لم تشتهي، ما قرأت وما لم تقرأ؟

من أنت، بعيدا عمن أحببت ومن كرهت، بعيدا عمن أحبك ومن كرهك؟

من أنت، بعيدا عما تعتقد أنك تحبذ، بعيدا عما تعتقد أنك تريد، بعيدا عما تعتقد أنك تحتاج؟

من أنت، بعيدا عما قيل لك أنك تحبذ وتريد وتحتاج؟

من أنت، بعيدا عما يقول لك الكل أنه قدرك؟

من أنت، بعيدا عما أفرحك وبعيدا عما أحزنك، وبعيدا عما قواك وبعيدا عما كسرك؟

من أنت، بعيدا عما تخاف منه، وما قيل لك أنك تخاف منه؟

من أنت، بعيدا عن كلام رجل الفكر ذاك، ورجل العقيدة ذاك، ورجل السياسة ذاك؟

من أنت، بعيدا عن عيوبك وبعيدا عن فضائلك؟

من أنت، بعيدا عن الطفل الذي يختبئ بداخلك، وبعيدا عن الشيخ الذي يحارب للخروج؟

من أنت، بعيدا عما ترتدي، وبعيدا عن لون جلدك، وبعيدا عن بريق أو خفتان عيناك؟

من أنت، بعيدا عمن تكون وأنت مع من أنت معهم، وبعيدا عمن تكون وأنت مع من تريد أن تكون معهم؟

من أنت، بعيدا عما سطعت فيه، وبعيدا عما فشلت فيه، وبعيدا عما تخاف أن تحاوله بالمرة؟

من أنت، بعيدا عما تخاف أن تكون، وما تخاف الا تكون، وما تخاف الا تكون أبدا؟

من أنت؟

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أقوى مرشح رئاسي في مصر

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