Egypt abuzz with presidential campaign

"The government's message is not directed at the Egyptian people, and is not about voting for Mubarak," says Magdy Mihana, a leading independent columnist and political pundit. "The message is directed to the outside world that there are elections and that they are free and that there is real competition between more than one candidate."

In the months leading up to the campaign, the regime showed a more sinister face. In January, Nour, the Tomorrow Party leader, was arrested on what were widely believed to be trumped-up forgery charges. He was released 45 days later, but could still face jail time if convicted. On May 25, and again on July 30, gangs of government thugs attacked peaceful antigovernment demonstrators with truncheons.

And the much-heralded constitutional amendment that allowed for these presidential elections put stringent conditions on who could run. Those conditions prevented the Muslim Brotherhood, the only opposition force capable of challenging the ruling party machine, from fielding a candidate.

The Brotherhood, thousands of whose members have been jailed and released in recent months, encouraged their rank and file on Sunday to participate in the elections, a move seen as a lending an air of legitimacy to the elections. Though the Brotherhood denounced Mubarak, their statement has fueled rumors that the technically banned Islamist organization is cooperating with the government in exchange for increased seats in parliamentary elections later this year.

The government appointed election commission has rejected requests by international election observers and local civil society organizations to supervise the elections. Campaign officials are stressing that, as in past elections, Egypt's judges will suffice to ensure the legitimacy of the process. Many of those same judges, however, have admitted that past elections have been badly manipulated, despite their oversight.

For Ahmed Sayyid, a high school philosophy teacher, such machinations "cast doubt on the elections."

"We have international observers for soccer, so why shouldn't we bring impartial international observers for politics?" asks Mr. Sayyid.

With a government salary of roughly $50 a month, the thoughtful and soft-spoken Sayyid is only slightly better off than the 14 million Egyptians who earn a dollar a day or less. Still, watching the Nour campaign procession rumble down the main street of a provincial capital, Sayyid calls himself a "pessoptimist."

"All this may fail, and there may be no change," he says. "But it's still a pretty step."

• Born in 1964 in Mansoura, Egypt.

• Studied law at Mansoura University.

• Elected to Parliament in 1995.

• Arrested in January on charges, widely seen as trumped up, of forgery. Released 45 days later after his case won international attention.

• Platform: To rule for two years only, restore civil liberties, hold free elections.

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