For the first time since 2012, the Egyptian people will have “free” parliamentary elections, the third and final step to ensuring “democracy” in a land of turmoil and political unrest which has been present since colonial times.

The real question is whether this type of government can even be called a democracy, and more importantly, how long will an organized, stable democracy last in the face of the chaos that continues to divide the nation.

After overthrowing the former Egyptian leader Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the Egyptian people decided that the nation would take three steps toward ensuring a strong, democratic future. The first of these milestones was to rewrite the constitution of 2012, as well as a national referendum. The second milestone was presidential elections, and finally, parliamentary elections.

A new constitution was drafted in 2013, following a nation-wide referendum in early 2014.

Parliamentary elections, logically, should have happened before the rewriting of the constitution. The new constitution was rewritten by a committee of 50 people, all appointed by the president. How can it be a democratic constitution if the committee was not directly elected by the people?

What many often do not realize is that when a country is changing its government system to any form of democracy, there will always be an enormous amount of political parties striving to gain support and, ultimately, power in government.

Ahmed Yousseff, an Egyptian advertising agent, recently stated “I am going to vote because I understand the political importance of voting in general, but I hardly think this is the case in Egypt, as I believe this parliament is just a ‘décor’ and not a real representation of the people, let alone democracy.”

He went on to say “I would not say the government is directly financing some candidates, but they are endorsing them and they will decide who wins.”

Clearly, it cannot be considered free parliamentary elections if the government, more specifically the president, choses which party holds more power. As history has shown us repeatedly, maneuvers like these never end up well for a country, even more so a country striving to achieve democracy.

Take a look at Iran and the progress they have made since their own coup d’etat. They have a president, they have a legislative body, and they have also managed to incorporate religious leadership into the very threads of their government system. Even though the tagline is democracy, the country is in no way democratic. The Supreme Leader decides who can run for president, the religious leaders decide who can run for parliament, and the outcome is a controlled, unprogressive “democracy.”

The same happened in Russia, Ukraine, China, Mexico, etc. These countries tell the world that they are a democracy, but in truth it is a group of leaders, or one leader, ultimately in control.

Manal Shaheen, Egyptian citizen and WSU instructor of Arabic, said, “It’s a fake democracy. The election is also just a toy that the government will use to gain more power. All 4 of the 5 presidents came to power directly from the military.”

One can imagine how a government is run when a military leader takes control of the country.

“The only president to be elected, Mohamed Najib, was brutally thrown into jail and has been erased from the history of Egypt,” Shaheen said.

The Brotherhood, well-educated political advocates working to improve the current political and economic situation in Egypt, have all been imprisoned and banned from voting in the upcoming election.

The Egyptian people should be proud of what they have accomplished so far, and the upcoming elections in October will be the closest they have been to democracy.

Nonetheless, the concept of democracy also requires free speech, equality, voluntary military service, and other qualities that ensure a free society.

As Shaheen also stated, “The military should be on the border, protecting the people. Not in the capital controlling the government.”

Egypt may be closer to democracy than they have ever been, but they have a long way to go before the people of Egypt can rest at peace in a true, democratic society.

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.