Participate.. Vote.. Elect! .. Op-ed

The senate electoral silence began on Friday evening as the Egyptian expats are voting for the senate elections today and tomorrow, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; these elections will kick off in Egypt next Tuesday and Wednesday, then we will be waiting for the Primary results.

I feel the risk of the senate elections not only because of the vital legislative role that its members play in studying and proposing everything related to consolidating the foundations of democracy and the basic foundations of society and in proposing everything related to rights, duties and freedoms, as if its opinion is not taken into account in the proposals relating to amending any articles of the constitution.

In this case the issued decision is considered unconstitutional!, but the risk is that these senate elections bring together the advantages of the inpidual system and the list system, as one third of its members will be elected from the party lists, the other third will be from the inpidual election, while the last third will be appointed by the President of the Republic.

Moreover, the importance of this senate elections lies in the fact that Egypt is entering the third decade of the twenty-first century while its legislative authority has been completed with its two rooms of the parliament and the senate.

We need the world to see us as a stable oasis at the heart of a world and a region full of causes of anxiety and instability, and this legislative maturity is a message and a guarantee in two circles: The first gives Egyptians confidence in their country, and in its steadfast steps, as they are practicing their democratic life in a country led by a skilled leader, while the second circle is the world who must feel that the laws and legislations in Egypt are studied well.

This image will be completed with conditions:

• Participation ... and I mean the participation of women and men alike, because the role of women in parliamentary elections, Senate elections, or other national participation isn’t less important than the one of men, but rather they had pivotal role in various occasions such as the June 30 revolution.

• 2- Feeling safe… the National Elections Authority called on citizens to run for candidacy while providing the necessary health guarantees in the light of Coronavirus outbreak, we must also realize the importance of following the instructions of the National Elections Authority during the voting process and providing full guarantees for preserving the health of voters, and candidates throughout the Republic. Egyptians also should be aware so as not to be affected by any terrorist act carried out by any group or gang of extremist and violent militias who seek to distort the image of the Egyptians exercising their democratic rights safely and joyfully under the leadership of a strong and loyal patriotic president. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, loves the soil of his country.

• The media outlets should play their role in raising awareness and urging participation and voting, so that the citizens became aware of the importance of their votes and the importance of the active participation. They also should know well the tasks and specializations of this senate and its potential impact on various life aspects in Egypt.

• Interaction with the masses, which includes direct contact with people through youth centers, cultural palaces, universities, seminars, research studies and publications issued to educate citizens how to select the wisest and the most capable of preserving the homeland.

Finally, what is happening in Lebanon and in the whole region in terms of depression due to insecurity and corruption, makes us say “participate and vote to keep your country safe”.