Why Egyptians Are Voting Away Their Freedoms

The two-day referendum being held in Egypt is effectively a rubber-stamp vote that
will guarantee the military-backed regime greater powers
By Jared Malsin / Cairo @jmalsinJan. 14, 2014276 Comments

Dozens of men lined the sidewalk outside a school in Cairos upper-class
Mohandessin neighborhood on Tuesday morning, the first day of voting on Egypts
new constitution. Soldiers in tan fatigues armed with AK-47s motioned for the men to
enter, four or five at a time. Inside the gates, one group of mostly elderly men argued
with the army officer in charge. We cant find our names on the list! shouted one
man. The officer dialed his cell phone, assuring the man he would find his polling
station.
The proposed constitution, drafted under a military-backed government in the months
since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in July, further insulates the police and
armed forces from civilian control and could enshrine the militarys power within the
Egyptian state for decades. Nearly three years after a popular uprising forced autocrat
Hosni Mubarak from power, Egypts security state is triumphant once again. Since
Morsis removal, more than a thousand people have been killed in a government
crackdown on supporters of Morsis Muslim Brotherhood and its allies. Hundreds of
others have been jailed, including journalists and leading activists who opposed
Mubarak and Morsi. With most of the media backing the current regime, and much of
the public either voicing support for the military or simply resigned to the reality of
the current political arrangement, the forces of the 2011 revolution are struggling to
be heard.
At three separate polling stations on Tuesday, every voter interviewed backed the
constitution. I believe that this constitution is a very good constitution, and this is
just to give a message that we dont want the Muslim Brotherhood. We want a new
regime of freedom and democracy, says Inas Mazen, a 60-year-old doctor, at a
womens polling station in Mohandessin. Egypts Elections Committee on Monday
reported that 15% of voters had turned out so far, according to the leading news site
Ahram Online. Nine people were killed in violence at polling stations as security
forces clashed with protesters, and an explosion hit a courthouse in Cairos Imbaba
district, causing no reported injuries.
(MORE: Egypts Military-Backed Rulers Brand Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist and
Extend Crackdown)
In spite of criticism from rights groups and political dissidents about both the content
of the constitution and the integrity of the voting process, the document is expected to
be approved by a majority of voters. Recent history suggests voters will choose a
concrete constitutional option and the prospect of political stability over the chaos of a
no vote. Majorities also voted yes in constitutional referendums in Egypt in 2011 and
2012.
This weeks referendum is also taking place amid government harassment of those
opposed to the document. One of the only groups actively urging a no vote, the Strong
Egypt Party, suspended its campaign on Sunday after 11 activists were arrested in
three separate incidents hanging posters and distributing campaign materials. Its a
referendum with one choice only, and its yes. No is not allowed, says Strong Egypt
Party representative Fekry Nabil. This process is not free and not fair, and we cannot
join it.
Khaled Mansour, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a leading
watchdog group, says the arrests cast a huge shadow over the integrity of this
process. He adds, Hanging a poster, expressing a political opinion is not something
thats controversial. Its bordering on the ridiculous here.
Driven underground after the government branded it a terrorist organization, the
Muslim Brotherhood, once a formidable electoral force, called for a boycott of the
vote. The proposed constitution was drafted by a 50-member committee appointed in
the wake of the militarys removal of Brotherhood-affiliated Morsi in July following
huge protests. Morsis backers and other opponents of the coup regard the military-
backed political process as illegitimate. But the Brotherhoods current stance is also a
role reversal. In late 2012, Morsis government alienated other political forces by
drafting and then passing a constitution without broad public support.
Concurrent with the crackdown, a massive media campaign is urging Egyptians to
approve the new constitution, framing the vote as a revolutionary duty. Banners hang
on every major bridge and overpasses in Cairo with slogans like Yes to the
constitution, no to terrorism. Other ads directly invoke the legacy of the protests that
toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and triggered Morsis removal in 2013.
Egypt changed on Jan. 25 and was liberated on June 30, says one radio ad, referring
to the dates of the original uprising and then mass demonstrations against Morsi last
year. Go down and complete the journey. Participate in the referendum on the
constitution. On Saturday, armed-forces chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi himself urged the
public to vote yes in force, and hinted at a possible presidential run himself.
Claiming a mandate from the protests against Morsi, the general who led the July
coup enjoys a considerable cult of personality, and if he chooses to stand for election,
he would be considered the electoral favorite.
Supporting the constitution is a mismatched coalition that includes the conservative
Salafist Nour Party, Nasserists and secular probusiness groups like the Free Egyptians
Party, which is backed by telecommunications mogul Naguib Sawiris. The
constitutions proponents often dismiss concerns that it places too much power in the
hands of the military. We all feel that Egypt is going through a tough phase in facing
terrorism these days, says Free Egyptians founding member Naguib Abadir. We
need a strong military that will not be compromised in the coming eight years in any
way, in order to perform the duties that will be key to the survival of Egypt.
While the yes campaign is ubiquitous, the once-ascendant voices of the 2011 uprising
have been relegated to the margins. Wael Abbas, a prominent dissident blogger and
activist opposes the constitution vigorously, but even his own father, an attorney,
planned to vote for it. The constitution gives godly powers to the military in Egypt. It
makes them untouchable, says Abbas. I tried to explain as much as possible, but he
[Abbas father] doesnt look on the Internet. He only sees one side that is aired on
TV. Propaganda and misinformation often circulate in much of Egypts media.
When you turn on a television or you open a newspaper, you enter a fact-free zone,
says Nathan Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George
Washington University, in Washington, D.C.
The proposed constitutions critics point out that the document grants more autonomy
to already powerful state institutions, including the military, judiciary and police. The
militarys leadership is granted the power to approve choices for Defense Minister for
two presidential terms. Continuing a long-standing practice, military courts are given
the power to try civilians. A police council is given the right to approve or reject all
laws dealing with police. It will effectively give the Interior Ministry a veto over
reforming itself, and its not going to do it, Brown says.
Its vendetta time and anyone who crossed them [the Interior Ministry] is in their
crosshairs, he says. To me, one of the big questions is, Is any kind of political
system that comes out of this going to be able to bring that structure under control?
and Im not sure that there is.
Among voters interviewed at the polls on Monday, no one was worried about the
possibility that the new constitution would entrench the militarys institutional power.
Emerging from the voting room in the Mohandessin school, Ashraf Nasif, a 39-year-
old employee of a multinational corporation, says, Yes, the army did help ousting
Morsi but, it couldnt happen without millions of people in the street. The army alone
couldnt do anything without the people.