The military and elections in Egypt...

As Egypt's elections grow closer, protestors have once again taken to the streets objecting to the military's attempts to maintain their special status in the Egyptian government. The military has been trying to ensure they will not have to give up privileges in the new government, but the people are not going to stand for it. Once again, protestors have filled Tahrir Square and once again they are being violently oppressed (though not with live ammunition, it appears). As a concession, the military council announced today that Mubarak's former political party would be banned from elections, but that probably isn't going to be enough. Protestors are demanding that Tantawi (Mubarak's former defense minister) step down and want presidential elections, which should take all political power away from the military, to happen by May 2012. As another concession, Al-Jazeera reports that the interim cabinet has resigned, but it is unclear whether or not the military council will accept this resignation. Keep an eye on Al-Jazeera's Egypt live blog for updates!!

Also, see this article from the Economist, where I first heard about this!

Gaddafi's son and intelligence chief arrested!

Gaddafi's son and heir, Saif al-Islam, was found and arrested in Libya on Saturday (see Al-Jazeera). He's being held in the city of Zintan. Abdullah al-Senussi, Gaddafi's intelligence chief who was responsible for the torture of many people during his regime, was also found and arrested this weekend (see Al-Jazeera again). The significance of these two arrests is huge, especially given the world's reactions to the handling of Gaddafi's death last month.

The trial: ICC or Libyan?

Obviously the first question people are asking is whether the trials of these two men will be handled by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued warrants for their arrests for crimes against humanity over the summer, or if they will go through Libyan courts. The problem is that at the moment Libya is in a transitional phase without laws or courts with which to hold a trial. However, the fact that these men have been arrested and detained and not killed on the spot like Gaddafi is a good sign for those concerned about order in the country.

Elections: Tunisia and Egypt

So, for an update after my first post on the Tunisian elections, it was announced a few days ago that Ennahda did indeed win the most seats in the Constituent Assembly (89 of 217). The Congress for the Republic came in second with 29 seats and the Popular Petition was 3rd with 26 seats. Many independent parties also won seats (see this Al-Jazeera article).

At the moment, Ennahda cannot veto or pass an action on its own. Our professor said in class yesterday than as a result, Ennahda is seeking to form a coalition with the other major parties. This political map was written just before the election, so the percentages come from polls and not actual election results, but it shows how the various parties fall on the political spectrum very well and gives brief descriptions of each one.

On another note, Egypt is gearing up for its own round of elections. The Egyptian Parliament consists of two houses, the lower house (Majlis al-Shaab) and upper house (Shura). There will be three rounds of elections for the lower house, and the first round will take place on November 28th (see Al-Jazeera again). This live blog, again from Al-Jazeera, is covering the election process. I think this election will be a very important marker of how much is actually going to change in Egypt in the future. We are already seeing several differences between the election process in Tunisia and the election process in Egypt. The most significant difference is that in Egypt, Mubarak's former political party, the National Democratic Party (NDP), will be allowed to participate in elections, while in Tunisia Ben Ali's former party was banned. Although this makes Egypt seem more truly democratic, it could also provide an opportunity for all the same faces from Mubarak's regime to take power again. We'll have to wait and see.

Change in Egypt: will it actually happen?

The Egyptian military, which currently controls the government and supposedly will turn it into a democracy at some point, announced today that it is extending the detention of a prominent activist and blogger. The blogger, Alaa Abd El Fattah, was arrested for allegedly "inciting violence" during the Maspero Massacre on October 9th. The massacre occurred when a protest, led by Christians upset by an attack on a church in the south of Egypt, was violently repressed by the military.

The government claims that El Fattah and other protestors started the violence, while protestors claimed the military acted first. Whatever actually happened, this case brings up several big concerns about the future of Egypt. Leading activists during the revolution of course cannot be above the law, but on the other hand the military government should not be oppressing protests just as violently as Mubarak. Is the military actually moving toward a democratic government, or will it simply keep power for itself and rule with the same iron fist as Mubarak? What will the role of Egyptian Christians be in the new government?

See this article from Al-Jazeera for more information.

Remember remember the 5th of November

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Guy Fawkes Day is a British holiday celebrated on November 5th, the day a man named Guy Fawkes, along with others, plotted to blow up the British Parliament and assassinate King James I. Although the purpose of the holiday is to celebrate the failure of the plot and escape of the king, Guy Fawkes has become a symbol of resistance against oppression, particularly after the releases of the comic book and later movie "V for Vendetta." "V for Vendetta" is set in a future resembling the book 1984, when a horribly oppressive regime rules Britain. One man, who always wears a Guy Fawkes mask and calls himself V, leads a revolution on November 5th against the regime, because "people shouldn't be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." The Arab Spring proves that these statements are true today, and reminds us that every government, no matter how oppressive, must face its people's judgment. "400 years later, an idea can still change the world." So, remember remember the 5th of November.