On June 30, 2012 the fifth Egypt’s president, Mohammed Morsi, took office after he won the elections in the African country earlier this year. The first democratically oriented Islamist leader of the Arab republic is now ready to turn a new chapter of the history of his home country. The new Egyptian head of state promised that he will listen more attentively to what his compatriots have to say, because as he himself declared during his first speech in Cairo University on Saturday, “There is no authority above the authority of people.”

On February 11, 2011, the previous president, Hosni Mubarak, was forced to resign after a powerful wave of protests against his authoritarian regime took place. Mubarak spent more than a quarter of a century on this post, leading strong but unsuccessful politics of repressions and restrictions. The enormous income gaps, together with the exceptive pressure on behalf of the government, were the main precondition for the growing dissatisfaction with the former leader. The revolution in Egypt was a turning point for the country. It was a national victory against the injustice and oppression.

The elections in June 2012 were the serial step to the long awaited change in the African republic. Morsi promised a democratic government, but whether he will keep his promise will be known later in future.

Although the Islamist leader won the elections only four percent over his opponent, it was a great landslide not only for him, but for the country he is now to rule. For some people, the name Morsi became a symbol of the forthcoming change in the Arab republic.

Despite being raised in poverty, Morsi received a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in engineering from Cairo University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in the U.S. The new Egyptian leader was invited to teach in a prominent American University; however, life outside the motherland was not the thing he and his wife, Naglaa Ali Mahmoud, dreamed about. They returned together to Egypt, where their family started rising from nothing to reach the top.

During his presidential campaign, he promised that his priority will be the construction of a democratic country. Other aspects of his policy will be the issues regarding women’s rights and the improvement of the tense relationships with Israel.

Although the 60-year-old Morsi is said to “represent the older, more conservative wing of the Muslim Brotherhood” that “openly endorses a strict Islamic vision,” in the course of time he proved that he supports the widespread concept that people have to struggle for power, because otherwise no one will give it to them. He spent seven months in jail during Hosni Mubarak’s regime because of his participation in the protests against the repressions and inequality in the country at that time.

The fact that an Islamist won the elections, at a certain degree, surprised the political circles around the world. His campaign was under the heading “Islam is the solution.”

Aabout the connection between Islamism and democracy, he personally commented that “There is no such thing called an Islamic democracy. There is democracy only.”

The White House and the European Union supported the choice of the Egyptians, offering their congratulations to the new president and to the nation as a whole. U.S. President Barack Obama called both Mohamed Morsi and his biggest opponent, Ahmed Shafiq, in order to encourage them to work together for the prosperity of the African country and to express the willingness of the U.S. to give a helping hand to the new government if necessary.

The elections in the country put a symbolical end to the Arab Spring there. Egypt is now passing through the most strenuous moment in its history. The greatest and most disputable battle in the African republic may have already finished, but the people are yet to begin constructing the democratic system in the country.

Image Courtesy of  Freedom and Justice Party

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According to the press office of the Egyptian Government Former President Hosni Mubarak, 84, is only confirmed to not be dead and that he is in a coma. One of Mubarak’s attorneys, Fareed El Deeb, told CNN, “he has been in a coma for hours now. He has had water on the lungs for 10 days now and his blood pressure is down today, which obstructed his breathing and forced doctors to put him on a respirator. He was given medicine intravenously to relieve the brain clot, and electric shocks were used to revive him but there was no substantial response. He is not dead as reported.”

Mubarak has been reportedly transported from the prison where he is being held to Maadi military hospital where he is on life support and clinically dead. Mubarak was jailed for life for his role in the killings of hundreds of protesters in February 2011.

CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen commented that “clinically dead is not a phrase that is commonly used, but when it is used, what it usually means is that someone is brain dead…in the United States, we would call this person dead because they have no brain activity.”

However, many are doubtful of these allegations. A senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, Fouad Ajami, stated, “there’s a great Arab expression I like and it asks the following question: When you’re told that someone is dead, you say, ‘Is he dead and buried, or just dead?’ I think we are in the middle of this kind of situation.”

With tensions high in Egypt with the outcome of the presidential elections being announced today, some believe that this is a stunt by the government to distract from the problems with the elections. Sayed Ahmed, a protester, stated, “I don’t care about Mubarak. These are games played by the intelligence services.”

Recently many protesters have gathered in Tahrir Square to protest the way the elections are being run and recent problems in the government. The government is currently being run by the Egyptian military which ousted the recently elected Parliament after the Constitutional Court ruled that the elections were illegal. According to a statement issued by former US President Jimmy Carter’s Carter Center, they are “deeply troubled by the undemocratic turn that Egypt has taken.”

The Constitutional Court also ruled that candidate Ahmed Shafiq, former prime minister under Mubarak, could run and contest the elections even though a law was passed forbidding members of the former regime from running for office. According to “The Australian” the protesters of Arab Spring feel as though they are being marginalized.

Another lawyer of Mubarak’s claimed Wednesday, June 20 that the stories of Mubarak’s coma are exaggerated. Youssri Abdel Razeq says that Mubarak fell in the prison shower and developed a blood clot that has been removed. According to the “New York Times” Mubarak’s lawyers are trying to get him released from prison on medical grounds.

Image Courtesy of  Vasily Smirnov / Shutterstock.com

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The Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential candidate, Mohammed Mursi, addressed Egyptian voters on Tuesday May 29, 2012 about concerns that his presidency would result in a strict Islamic state. Mursi claimed that not only would his Egyptian government be secular but he would emphasize the creation of an institution for the executive office instead of the presidency being one person.

Mursi spoke after his rival’s, Ahmed Shafiq’s, headquarters were attacked. Several store rooms were set fire to and computers were smashed.

Ahmed Shafiq, the rival to Mursi, was the prime minister under Mubarak, the former president removed through the most recent coup during the Arab Spring. Many of the youth voters are distrustful of Shafiq because of his relationship with the previous regime. However, many moderates support Shafiq because of his war and business records. He fought in three wars, including the Arab-Israeli conflict, as an air force pilot. He then went on to renovate EgyptAir which made the airline competitive and increased tourism.

Mursi claimed, “the Superman era is over,” emphasizing his desire to create an institution for the Presidency. Mursi also insisted that he would appoint individuals from opposing parties, not only from the Muslim Brotherhood.

The candidate addressed social issues in his speech as well. He made specific mention of the Coptic Christians and that they are the ‘brothers’ of Muslims and “will have full rights that are equal to those enjoyed by Muslims.” Additionally, Mursi claimed that Islamic dress codes would not be enforced; therefore, women would not be forced to wear the hijab. Mursi stated, “women have a right to freely choose the attire that suits them.”

Mursi’s statements came out amidst pressures from many Egyptian parties to have a candidate guarantee social reforms and political participation for all. There are also worries that the Muslim Brotherhood would create an autocratic rule or a government like that in Iran.

Originally the Muslim Brotherhood claimed that they would not put forth a presidential candidate and would focus solely on the parliament seats. The existence of Mursi as a presidential candidate at all thus reduces the Brotherhood’s credibility.

Mursi’s statement has indeed peaked the interest of several Egyptian political groups including the Social Democratic Party, the Ghad Party, and representatives from the National Association for Change. However these groups are still distrustful of both Shafiq and Mursi and have organized to demand more promises and action from Mursi before they agree to support him. Ayman Nour, head of the Ghad party, stated that the first condition was Mursi’s resignation from the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party. Mursi is currently the chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and he stated that if he were to be elected president he would immediately resign his position.

The parties also demand that a presidential team of ten political figures from varying backgrounds be added to the executive branch to ensure that the minorities and underrepresented are no longer discriminated against or denied a voice. Additionally the parties request that a special committee be created to recombine the political programs of different presidential candidates to form a kind of national project.

Although these parties are willing to at least bargain with Mursi other parties are still very distrustful. The Wafd Party still claims that it will neither endorse Mursi nor Shafiq and finds neither candidate suitable. In addition there is a boycotting campaign for those who prefer neither candidate.

The most recent polls show Mursi only one percentage point ahead of Shafiq. The race will be very close and both candidates will need to win over the youth vote especially or risk losing those who created and supported the revolution.

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