The Egyptian political scene seems more controversial than ever before. Indeed, the Shura Council elections, of which there will be a second round tomorrow, have produced results that confirm what we had warned of before in this column about the desire of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) to take hold of the largest number of seats in Parliament, this in spite of a marketing campaign led by some to suggest that the fact that four candidates not affiliated with the party won seats in these elections should be considered a major shift! The elections of the New Wafd Party, which emerged with Doctor Al-Sayyid Al-Badawi as Chairman, did not give the party the blessing of the NDP, the government or voters. Indeed, the Wafd Party did not even win a single seat in the Shura elections. On the other hand, far from the political party system, the convergence between Doctor Mohamed El-Baradei and the Muslim Brotherhood seems tangible, in spite of both sides always indicating that what is happening is normal and holds nothing new! Moreover, it seems that the reactions to the results of the Shura elections agree with the stances of all parties active in them. Indeed, the NDP and the government are promoting the fact that the elections took place in a climate of transparency, fairness and neutrality, in addition of course to their assertions that the results expressed the will of voters and the political weight of those participating in them, and of course regardless of the information which speaks of interventions, rigging and measures taken against opposition or independent candidates. In fact, it was noteworthy that there were candidates affiliated with the NDP itself, who had waged the elections as independents after being excluded by the party from its lists of candidates, who went around newspapers and satellite television shows talking about the means of falsification that were exercised against them and the measures that were taken to make them fail! This is without mentioning the information about the ruling party supporting candidates from opposition parties against the candidates of the party itself to seal deals essentially aimed at whitewashing the party's image and suggesting that the elections were fair! Those are the same methods that have been spoken of at every previous election. Nothing changes and the same reactions take place from the side of all parties active in the elections. This suggests that the People's Assembly electoral race, scheduled before the end of this year, will be grueling and could perhaps turn into an arena for settling accounts between all parties. Indeed, the Muslim Brotherhood, which put forward 15 of its major figures as candidates for the Shura Council elections and did not obtain a single seat, will wage the People's Assembly elections more intensively, having obtained 88 seats in the previous elections, as it is certain that it will seek to maintain the same number or increase it. On the other hand, according to the statements made and the stances taken by the NDP's major figures, the party will seek to prevent anyone from the Brotherhood from reaching Parliament! It is no secret that the group will have the opportunity to respond in the presidential elections that will take place next year, and it seems from the features of the image taking shape that the convergence between them and Doctor Mohamed El-Baradei do not fall outside of such a framework. As for the New Wafd Party, which is the largest and most well-established Egyptian liberal party, it needs some time to reorganize its own internal affairs before restoring its influence, clout and weight. Certainly the remaining weeks and month before the People's Assembly elections will make much clearer the features of the political scene. Indeed, the NDP needs more than the measures it can take, the influence it holds or the capabilities of the government which it uses to confront its opponents. On the other hand, political parties, and most prominently the Wafd Party, will need to reconsider the methods they use to deal with the ruling party, as well as with the electorate. As for the Muslim Brotherhood, certainly the Shura Council elections have made it realize that the experience of the previous elections and its winning 88 seats is not likely to repeat itself – and that its alliance with Baradei could be a tool to pressure the state or a tool the state would use against it.
