Skip to main content

In Cairo, as Historic Vote Nears, Excitement Mixed With Wariness

Sophie Claudet reports from Cairo as Egypt's historic election approaches. Polls offer conflicting predictions for the balloting scheduled to begin Wednesday. 
Vehicles drive under election campaign billboards of presidential candidate and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq (R), the head of the Muslim Brotherhood's political party and the Brotherhood's presidential candidate Mohamed Mursi (L), and presidential candidate and former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Abdel Moneim Abu El Fotouh during the last campaign rally night in Cairo May 20, 2012. The election that starts on Wednesday is the last stage in a messy transition to democracy, overseen by generals who

Arriving in Cairo after a two-year hiatus, one feels things have dramatically changed: obviously a revolution happened and a historic poll is about to take place. And it doesn’t take long to realize it on the ground.

Take the airport: several camera tripods, two large boxes with large Reuters stickers slapped on top, a senior CNN correspondent waiting at passport control and five heavily locked crates marked “Carter Center” rolling on the luggage conveyor belt, signaling the arrival of election observers. Take the press center where accreditations to cover the election are delivered: a machine gun-wielding soldier is posted right in the midst of government employees and queuing foreign correspondents. Is the soldier here to protect us? No, the press center is located on the first floor of the national television building — a prime target in every revolution.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.