In a special edition of the Doha Debates filmed in Cairo, viewers have urged their military rulers not to rush the democratic process following the recent overthrow of the government, claiming that they will not be rushed into parliamentary and presidential elections in the coming months.
An audience of mostly students and young professionals passed the motion ‘This House believes for the sake of democracy, Egypt should postpone elections,’ by a majority of 84.4% after the debate at the American University of Cairo’s old campus in Tahrir Square.
Discussions were heated, especially between a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Esam el-Erian and young members of the audience.
El-Erian argued for quick elections, but insisted that the Brotherhood would not seek the presidency or contest more than half of the parliament’s seats.
Dodging questions about anti-American and anti-Jewish comments attributed to the group’s leader, he insisted that in a reversal of previous policy, he had no objection to a non-Muslim or female President of Egypt.
Supporting the motion, women’s rights activist Marwa Sharafeldine and Shaheer George a member of several pro-democracy groups, fiercely criticised el-Erian throughout.
Sharafeldine said: “This fast food democracy can only create indigestion. Why are they rushing us?”
She argued that more time is needed to develop the democratic process, ensuring the rule of law and an independent media, and guaranteeing the passage of the old regime and its associated weaknesses.
A failure to do so would result in a vote “rigged in spirit” she claimed.
George berated the “cartoon parties” of the previous era, and asserted “democracy without parties is a farce.”
Both sides of the panel argued that army generals should be removed from politics but refused to be drawn on whether the current military government is trustworthy.
Speaking against the motion, Sherif Taher, a leading member of the liberal Al Wafd party argued that the army should return to the barracks and elections should be held in the near future.
“We need to move to a transition mode,” he argued, adding “it is time to get an interim government and to have a fair election and a representative parliament.”
“We are now focusing on building the new Egypt – it is time for us to be a democratic model for the region,” he added.
Taher warned against delaying the process in an attempt to attain ‘perfect democracy,’ but assured viewers that Egypt would never again accept “ballot rigging.”