Egypt’s long awaited parliamentary elections, which are being held in two phases – from Oct. 17, to Dec. 2 – are not supported by most of the Egyptian population.

On the first day of elections, 2.27 percent of the population voted. In total, to this day, 10 percent have voted, according to Reuters.

The inaction by voters accomplishes more than if the people would have voted. Without their votes, the parliament cannot be assembled the way the current government wishes, and this could be a significant step toward giving the power back to the people.

The last parliamentary elections occurred in 2011. It was proclaimed that this was the first honest election since the ousting of the monarchy in 1952. Since then, there has not been any true development or advancement for democracy.

Theoretically, the parliament will be made up of 596 seats, where 448 will be elected by individual candidacy, 120 through a winner-take-all system and 28 selected by the president.

“Nearly 16,000 judges are to monitor the polling stations during the elections,” reported Daily News Egypt, a local newspaper centered in Cairo, Egypt, in early January.

It is obvious the current government is doing everything in its power to maintain that the elections are uncontrolled, and that the outcome will be influenced solely by the people. Nonetheless, the government is hiding something.

The article lists a number of precautions and regulations the Supreme Electoral Committee (SEC) has put forth to ensure the election process is entirely unbiased. These regulations maintained that local, as well as foreign, media would be able to cover the elections, as long as they adhered to the rules set forth by the SEC, which stated:

“Maintain objectivity and refrain from inserting personal views in news; Deliver accurate information; Refrain from using misleading titles or pictures unrelated to content; Refrain from using vague designations; It is strictly forbidden to ask voters who they will vote for; It is forbidden to conduct polls and surveys in front of polling stations; It is forbidden to phrase questions in a way that encourages a particular response; Reporters must respect the right of reply.”

Although the regulations are clearly an attempt from the state to make it appear as if the elections are not controlled, the sheer voter turnout of the people says otherwise.

A group called the Muslim Brotherhood – which has been around since the 1920s – began getting more involved in politics in 2011, taking part in demonstrations and standing up to the autocratic government. The group has gained popularity and favor among the people of Egypt, but many of the leaders and members of the group were thrown in jail, and some executed, for their activity in the past few years.

This year, the Muslim Brotherhood was banned from running in the parliamentary elections, which is a cause of the incredibly low voter turnout this week.

“The election is a farce. I don’t think anyone in Egypt is taking it seriously,” said Wafaa Hefny, a Muslim Brotherhood official, in an interview with Reuters.

The reason for this apathy is pure disappointment. The youth of Egypt – the part of the population taking part in the demonstrations and other actions – were excited to start changing their country for the better.

“The youth took to the street for a dream. We had hopes. We wanted democracy and the chance to build our country,” said Mohamed Nabil, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, in the Reuter’s article.

But now that the Muslim Brotherhood has been banned, and new regulations for running for the parliamentary seats were put forth, the youth has understood the elections are simply another front the government is putting on to get the power needed to control the country.

In reality, it is the people who control the power.

If the government wants to be left alone, while having the appearance of being a democracy, it needs to look as though the people voted for it.

If the people understand this – it is clear that in Egypt they have – the power then truly lies in the people. Without the support of the people, the government has no stance of being democratic.

Essentially, the commitment of the people to remain inactive is in many ways more active than if the people would have voted in greater numbers. Without their votes, the parliament cannot be assembled the way the current government wants, and this could be a significant step to giving the power back to the people.

Bogdan (Theo) Mynka is a freshman studying music from Kharkiv, Ukraine. He can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of the Office of Student Media.