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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 009271 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KPAO KMDR OPRC EG
SUBJECT:  ROUND THREE OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS - MORE 
VIOLENCE, PESSIMISM, AND DEBATE:  EGYPTIAN 
MEDIA THEMES, DECEMBER 5-11. 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The third and final round of voting for the 
Parliamentary elections occurred on Dec. 7, amidst violence 
and closure of numerous polling stations.  According to 
election monitors and news reports, journalists and 
television crews in some flashpoint locations were turned 
away from polling stations, with reports of one Al-Jazeera 
crew assaulted near a polling station in Upper Egypt.  As 
in previous weeks, the press focused on the vocal 
complaints of judges as the elections period passed. As the 
dust settled, news analysis and editorials debated 
successes and failures and the prospect for reform in the 
new Parliament. State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam 
Ereli's comments on the elections received front page 
attention in the days after the elections. 
 
 
¶2.  Overview of Election Results and Polling:  On Dec. 8, 
all papers carried similar news stories of violence and 
polling station closings. News sections provided the 
Election Commissions announcement that 12 seats (out of 
444) remained undecided due to court rulings canceling the 
elections in several municipalities. Egyptian Television 
provided extensive footage of elections, including violence 
in several locations. The two leading pro-government 
dailies (Al-Ahram, circ. 750,000) and (Al-Akhbar, circ. 
800,000) carried news stories describing the day as the 
most violent of all election days and enumerating 
individual deaths and injuries.  Al-Ahram, on Dec. 10, 
quoted State Department Deputy Spokesman Ereli in a front 
page story saying that the recent elections gave a chance 
for the opposition and for independents to achieve historic 
progress, that the U.S. is concerned over the violence, that 
we are handling this issue and will continue to do so with 
the Egyptian Government at the highest levels." It went on 
to quote Ereli as saying that the Muslim Brothers were 
elected as independents and there is no recommendation... 
to prevent us from dealing with them in that capacity. 
 
¶3.  NDP's "defeat"; pessimism about reform prospects and 
the lack of a real opposition:  Despite retaining a large 
majority of seats in the Parliament, the theme of several 
television talk shows and opinion columns was that the NDP 
failed in the elections, due to its perceived hand in the 
election violence, its inability to obtain wide public 
support, and its inability to prevent strong opposition 
parties from running.  Questions also arose over the 
prospects for reform. On Dec. 5, columnist Magdy Mehanna 
from the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Yom (circ. 25,000) 
criticized the NDP supreme committee for including 
ing 
independent candidates in the NDP and, thereby, "deceiving 
the public about its victory."  On Dec. 6, Al-Ahram's 
independent columnist, Salama Ahmad Salama blamed the NDP 
for "resisting change and reform."  Al-Ahrams liberal 
columnist, Abdallah Abdel Salam wrote that the elections 
resulted in a victory for the Old Guard who are 
unfortunately controlling and shaping political reform. 
Similarly, opposition daily Al-Wafd also struck out against 
the Old Guard as the reason for the setback for democracy 
and reform. Al-Ahram's columnist, Dr. Mohammed El-Sayed 
Saied said many of the well-known candidates failed to 
retain their seats because they "spoke a language that 
those who went to vote did not understand, while those who 
understood did not vote."  A similar view was expressed on 
December 5 on the live current issues talk show, "Bebasata" 
on Al-Mehwar TV (private Egyptian TV satellite channel) 
when Al-Ahram writer, Abdel Azim Darwish accused the 
d the 
opposition of failing and for "obviously having no 
existence among the masses."  Al-Akhbar's unsigned 
editorial on Dec. 7 hewed more to the official line: "the 
current parliamentary elections are the most transparent 
and honest elections in Egypt over the past 50 years" and 
"full democracy cannot be achieved overnight." 
 
¶4.  Role of Judges:  Many papers continued to highlight the 
protests of individual judges, and of the Judges 
Association, over the ambiguous status forced upon them 
during their monitoring of the elections.  In the days 
before the elections, the pan-Arab newspaper, Al-Sharq Al- 
Awsat quoted judges saying that "the physical assaults on 
them were a political decision" and calling for "removing 
the Ministers of Interior and Justice" if judges are 
assaulted again or if "voters are prevented from voting." 
On Dec. 8, all papers reported that 40 judges "withdrew 
from the elections in objection to the violence and lack of 
security" and, moreover, printed the Judges Association's 
s 
official report that security forces had shot voters and 
citizens. 
 
¶5.  Ayman Nour case:  On Dec. 6, all papers reported the 
resumption of the trial of Al-Ghad party Chairman, Ayman 
Nour, charged with forging signatures to establish his 
party, and the subsequent decision to continue his 
detention pending completion of the trial. On Dec. 11, Al- 
Masry Al-Yom reported that Nour's trial was postponed until 
Dec. 12 for the arguments of the defense. 
 
RICCIARDONE