We congratulate Mohammed Mursi (MM) on his election success. He should know better than most that winning the election is the easy stretch of the journey that he has embarked on as Egypt's elected President. He must know that while he was the Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate, he is now Egypt's President. Hopefully he knows that there are major differences in the positions. He is now the president of all Egyptians. He must govern in that knowledge. He must govern as such.
It has taken his organization more than 75 years to achieve her ultimate political goal of the Egyptian presidency. Powerful institutions in Egypt have kept his organization out of participation in electoral politics in Egypt for all that time. MM must ask himself why his organization was not trusted up until now. He must answer that question truthfully to himself and to his organization members.
MM must be presumed to know that regardless of the claims of religious ideologues, political leadership through free and fair elections should not and is not about saving souls and getting fellow citizens to heaven after they die. It is about the best possible life on earth for all citizens regardless of their religious differences. This life if well lived just might get the believer to heaven.
Egyptians are a great people with a rich history. MM must ask himself why Egypt has failed abysmally to live up to its true potential. It is convenient for him to blame all those who have governed Egypt before him. He cannot do this for much longer. He must know to avoid being seen as part of the problem. He must do better than his predecessors. His greatest challenge is likely to be managing the extremists within his organization. Most elected leaders face that challenge. The smart ones do not hold extremists in their organization responsible for their poor governance performance. They generally overcome it or successfully live with while getting the job of improving the lives of all fellow citizens done. He must lead and not follow.
The Military Powers (MP) in Egypt have taken measures to curtail the powers of the elected president. MM must ask himself why the military thought that was necessary. He must know that the MP do not trust his organization with political power. They are hoping and rooting for him to fail so they can return to power. If MM is a good student of history, he would know that there is a lot that he can learn from the Islamist Party that is in power in Turkey. He must outsmart the MP as the Islamist party has done in Turkey. It takes time but it can be done. He must be patient. Good things happen in time. Bad things happen sooner.
Egyptians need a reprieve from the harsh living conditions that many of them have always known. It is hope that things can be better in Egypt that led ordinary Egyptians to risk life, limb, and livelihood to challenge and reject the powerful Egyptian Military Establishment's hold on power and replace it with democratic governance. MM's presidency is a direct result of that push. MM must reject the delusion that he was destined to be president which caused many before him to abuse power. It is doubtful that in electing MM president with less than 53 percent of all votes cast, all who voted for him wish to replace a military dictatorship with a religious one.
If history has taught the human race anything, it is that religion is best left out of public affairs. MM is reminded of a version of the late Rodney King's question: could we all get along?
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From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Abdul Bangura [theai@earthlink.net]
Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2012 10:46 AM
To: USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
Cc: leonenet
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Egypt's Election
Islamist Mohammed Mursi Elected Egyptian President
Mursi, 60, defeated Ahmed Shafik, who served as Hosni Mubarak's last premier, election commission head Farouk Sultan said in a televised press conference. Mursi won 13.2 million votes or 51.7 percent, beating Shafik who garnered 12.3 million votes or almost 48.3 percent, Sultan said.
Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Mursi waves after casting his ballot at a polling station in the city of Zagazig on June 16, 2012. Photographer: Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images
The announcement drew an uproar of cheers from tens of thousands gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square where supporters of the Brotherhood had been rallying for the past week against the ruling military council.
"The Brotherhood will use the office of the presidency to confront" the military council, Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center, said by phone of a Mursi victory before it was announced. "The Brotherhood feels it has a claim to lead Egypt's government because it was elected to not only parliament but also the presidency."
Before the announcement, the military council boosted its authority at the expense of the presidency after a court ordered the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated parliament. Decrees granted the military legislative powers and the ability to play a direct role in shaping a new constitution. The military defended its moves as being in the interests of national security and said that it plans to hand over power by the end of June.
Military Confrontation
Official results were originally due to be released on June 21 before being postponed amid fraud allegations from the two candidates.
The military's moves prompted protests and raised the possibility of a power struggle between the army and the Brotherhood after Mursi's victory. Tensions marring the country's transition have scared away foreign investors and tourists and hampered efforts to secure a $3.2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.
Mursi inherits an economy that has struggled to recover since the revolt last year, as tourists and investors stayed away.
"The new president arrives in a total institutional vacuum and in a seat essentially devoid of powers," said Philippe Dauba-Pantanacce, Dubai-based senior economist at Standard Chartered Plc. "There is no constitution to define the presidential attributions, allocate and distinguish the executive from the legislative powers."
Power Transfer
The generals say they are committed to transferring rule by the end of the month and that they regard the candidates equally. Their critics charge they have tightened their grip in what amounts to a coup and will not cede meaningful power.
After more than a year of unrest, a worsening security situation and order and scattered violence, the election has further polarized the country. Out of a field of 13 hopefuls, Mursi and Shafik, the two most divisive candidates in the race, made it to the second round.
Mursi cast himself as the "revolutionary" candidate in the runoffs against Shafik, a former air force pilot and civil aviation minister, who ran on a law and order platform.
His victory averts the kind of unrest that a Shafik win may have caused, said Mona Mansour, co-head of research at CI Capital.
"However, such a victory would strengthen the power of Islamist rule, which will reflect negatively on foreign non-Arab investment sentiment," she said.
Still, "Mursi's economic program supports a free economy with a strong role for the private sector and efforts to attract" foreign direct investments, she said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Mariam Fam in Cairo at mfam1@bloomberg.net; Tarek El-Tablawy in Cairo at teltablawy@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net
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