Islamists Say They Have Mandate in Egypt Voting

[rug]

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: November 30, 2011

CAIRO — Islamists claimed a decisive victory on Wednesday as early election results put them on track to win a dominant majority in Egypt’s first Parliament since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, the most significant step yet in the religious movement’s rise since the start of the Arab Spring.

The party formed by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s mainstream Islamist group, appeared to have taken about 40 percent of the vote, as expected. But a big surprise was the strong showing of ultraconservative Islamists, called Salafis, many of whom see most popular entertainment as sinful and reject women’s participation in voting or public life.

Analysts in the state-run news media said early returns indicated that Salafi groups could take as much as a quarter of the vote, giving the two groups of Islamists combined control of nearly 65 percent of the parliamentary seats.

That victory came at the expense of the liberal parties and youth activists who set off the revolution, affirming their fears that they would be unable to compete with Islamists who emerged from the Mubarak years organized and with an established following. Poorly organized and internally divided, the liberal parties could not compete with Islamists disciplined by decades as the sole opposition to Mr. Mubarak. “We were washed out,” said Shady el-Ghazaly Harb, one of the most politically active of the group.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/01/world/middleeast/voting-in-egypt-shows-mandate-for-islamists.html?_r=2&hp

[demosincebirth]

1. What else did we expect a liberal majority?

[MH1]

2. My understanding was that a Muslim majority was NOT expected; rather a strong plurality.

Here is the problem:

But a big surprise was the strong showing of ultraconservative Islamists, called Salafis, many of whom see most popular entertainment as sinful and reject women’s participation in voting or public life.

Analysts in the state-run news media said early returns indicated that Salafi groups could take as much as a quarter of the vote, giving the two groups of Islamists combined control of nearly 65 percent of the parliamentary seats.

Egypt could be heading backwards. I would prefer a secular dictator over a so-called democracy where half of the human race is treated as not human.

[msongs]

3. great, let's hope they all stay in Egypt for the betterment of their own society nt

[Nihil]

4. Sounds like another case ...

... of "Democracy is wonderful - as long as you choose the same people that we would."

:shrug:

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LeftishBrit]

7. Democracy is, as Churchill said, the worst possible system except for all the others

I don't think that Egypt should be invaded or colonized or even sanctioned to make it change its vote; but one can still regret people's choices. After all, Thatcher and Reagan were democratically elected (whatever one might say about Bush or in a different way Cameron!); that doesn't mean they were good things. Sometimes it really is a case of 'The people have spoken- the bastards!'

[Deep13]

6. Well, that's not good.

From dictatorship to another.

[Deep13]

8. Yup, all two fifths of them. nt