InfoAnda - Egyptians learn fast in campaign for historic vote |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Pakistan stocks see another dull day, index inches up | 24 June 2010
Sundance opens with eye on broken American dreams | | 20 January 2012
Verizon CEO cancels CES appearance | | 4 January 2012

Nissan may halt US, Mexico production | 13 July 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Egyptians learn fast in campaign for historic vote |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Issues 2012 Candidates 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Slideshow Full Focus Editor's choice Our top photos from the last 24 hours. Full Article Images of February Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Facing heat over gas price rise, Obama vows to speed pipeline's southern leg 22 Mar 2012 Marine sergeant faces discipline for Facebook critique of Obama 22 Mar 2012 Special Report: Intel shows Iran nuclear threat not imminent 12:00pm EDT Fed officials clash on view of economy 22 Mar 2012 Madonna vows to defy anti-gay law on Russian tour 22 Mar 2012 Discussed 197 Dozens arrested at Occupy’s 6-month anniversary rally 159 Republican budget plan seeks to play up tax reform 155 Marine sergeant faces discipline for Facebook critique of Obama Watched Artworks preview in LA prior to sale Thu, Mar 22 2012 Amateur video shows police assault on Toulouse suspect's home Wed, Mar 21 2012 Clashes over austerity in Portugal Thu, Mar 22 2012 Egyptians learn fast in campaign for historic vote Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Romney scores big win over Santorum in Illinois Wed, Mar 21 2012 Special Report: French hopeful Hollande says he's nothing to fear Wed, Mar 21 2012 France fears Jewish school gunman could strike again Tue, Mar 20 2012 Thousands attend funeral of Egypt's Pope Tue, Mar 20 2012 In urban north, Santorum searches for U.S. heartland Mon, Mar 19 2012 Analysis & Opinion The ideal nominee for World Bank president Could corruption be worse in Tunisia, Egypt after Arab Spring? Related Topics World » Egypt » 1 of 2. Egyptian men walk in front of a wall sprayed with graffiti depicting images of the martyrs of the Egypt revolution, at Mohamed Mahmoud street in Cairo March 23, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Ismail Zitouny By Tom Perry and Dina Zayed CAIRO | Fri Mar 23, 2012 4:11pm EDT CAIRO (Reuters) - In the final moments of Hosni Mubarak's presidency, Mohamed Elshahawy made a call to the man he thought should replace him. "We need to talk about the future," he told Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, then a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader. One year on, Elshahawy has taken time out of his job as a successful business manager to work seven days a week heading Abol Fotouh's campaign. He is one of a generation of Egyptians who have thrown themselves into the first real competition for the nation's presidency, scheduled to take place in May. "I rediscovered myself and I rediscovered Egypt," said 41-year-old Elshahawy in an interview. "I feel there is a mission." The race for the Egyptian presidency is forging a new class of political campaigners who have stepped away from jobs as doctors, accountants and diplomats for front row seats in a vote that will be a defining moment in Middle East history. How Egypt's political pioneers perform will be crucial in deciding who comes out on top in an election being watched as a measure of the change brought by uprisings against decades of autocratic leadership in the Arab world. Election results were a foregone conclusion under Mubarak, who ruled for 30 years. Mubarak's successor must manage the expectations of voters demanding the revival of Egypt's economy and regional influence while balancing ties with Israel and the United States. The new president will face competing demands: those of revolutionary youth and a conservative and powerful military and liberals and emboldened Islamists. The president must also deal with a parliament set on empowering itself at his expense. Amr Moussa, a former Egyptian foreign minister and Arab League chief, is seen as one of the front-runners in a field including independent Islamists and a host of former officials, among them the last prime minister appointed by Mubarak. Abol Fotouh's decision to run for the presidency led to his expulsion from the Muslim Brotherhood as it decided not to field a candidate in the presidential race, wary of being seen as too dominant in national politics. STEEP LEARNING CURVE On a steep learning curve, campaign teams have hit the books to better understand the world of electoral politics. One campaign manager said he had met a member of Barack Obama's election team, others had watched Michael Bloomberg's campaign for re-election as New York mayor or sought advice from Turkish politicians involved in the AK Party's election win. Juggling issues from campaign finance to media appearances and planning country-wide tours, their task has been made no easier by the administrative chaos of the army-led transition. The May election date was itself only set a few weeks ago. Campaign managers also complain that with weeks to go before the April 30 start of official campaigning, they are not yet allowed to raise funds. That has given a head start to candidates with deep pockets and wealthy friends, some of whom have been campaigning unofficially since the day Mubarak was deposed. Campaign posters and banners already dot the streets of the capital. The campaign of one ultra-conservative Salafi candidate Hazim Salah Abu Ismail is particularly widespread. Illustrating the wealth of his supporters, his campaign has even put stickers on taxi cars and micro-buses. With opinion polls sketchy at best, gauging what at least 50 million voters are looking for in their new president is just one of the challenges cited by the campaigners. As they have hit the campaign trail, touring the far corners of the Arab world's most populous nation, they have found many of the concerns of the Cairo-based elite - the role of Islam in politics, for example - mean little to ordinary people in a country steeped in poverty. "We are learning every step of the way," said Hesham Youssef, a career diplomat who left his job at the Arab League to head up the Moussa campaign. His team have commissioned professional surveys to better understand voters whose main concerns are restoring an ailing economy and security. "People are looking for someone who can save the country," said Youssef. "WE'RE IN AN EXPERIMENTAL LAB" Looking for further clues, campaign managers are studying the results of the recent legislative elections dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Nour Party, both Islamist parties. They are not planning to contest the presidency themselves, but have said they will back candidates. The nationwide presidential vote is a different prospect to the constituency-based parliamentary polls, where local presence and organization were one factor that swayed voters. But the campaigners have been able to draw some conclusions. One is that the number of Egyptians who voted for the Islamist parties is smaller than their dedicated support base, raising questions about the extent of their influence over the presidential vote and hinting at a pool of millions of non-aligned voters whose choices will be critical. "Right now, we're in an experimental lab," said analyst Hassan Abu Taleb. Some are taking lessons from Amr Hamzawy, a liberal whose parliamentary victory was one of the most convincing. He was one of the few MPs who clinched his seat outright without facing a second round run-off, beating Islamists in the process. "You have to take name recognition into consideration," he said. A 44-year-old political scientist, Hamzawy's regular television appearances as a commentator on satellite television made him a household name before the legislative election. Hamzawy identifies one key category of voters as "value conservative Egyptians". Like most Egyptians, these are practicing Muslims but that does not mean they will vote for an Islamist. Familiarity with the candidate is of prime importance. "If you listen to what people say, some voted based on ideas and political platform and some voted for me simply based on the fact that 'he's a decent man'," Hamzawy said during an interview. "If you can appeal to 'value conservative Egyptians', not moved by political preferences, you will make it," he said. When it comes to name recognition, none of the candidates appear better placed than Moussa, the 75-year-old who spent a decade as Egypt's foreign minister before he moved to his high-profile job at the Arab League. But his campaign is still reaching out to make face-to-face contact with voters. "The candidate that is going to win these elections is the candidate that is going to be seen by the most people, met by the most people and heard by the most people," said Ahmed Kamel, who visited three provinces in a week on the campaign trail. Kamel, 35, is a qualified neurosurgeon. But in the post-Mubarak Egypt he has found a new vocation in political PR. "I've always had a thing for politics," said the 35-year-old. One of the biggest of all the campaigns, Moussa's team has also employed marketing experts. Moataz Abdel Rahman, the marketing manager, joined with a background in brand management. "Of course it's a completely different ball-game but the basics of the industry are the same," he said, as he fiddled with a prototype of a Moussa campaign pin on his desk. "The strategy is do, learn, and do again." The Moussa campaign is one of the more well-endowed. Funds have come from the candidate himself or have been donated by supporters, said Youssef. While they may accept donations, the campaigns are not yet allowed to actively raise funds. Electoral authorities have yet to declare the rules for how candidates can solicit funds, a delay which their campaigns say poses a major challenge for planning. VOLUNTEERS ARE VITAL Unable yet to fundraise, the poorer campaigns feel most disadvantaged by the rules. Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahy's campaign hopes his popular touch can overcome their financial disadvantage. His entire effort is being run by volunteers. "The only one who gets a salary in this entire campaign is the man bringing us coffee," said Sabahy's 29-year-old campaign manager Hossam Moaness, who is juggling his job as a corporate accountant with his new role. On an afternoon in March, dressed in a white shirt and a smart black blazer, Sabahy took his campaign to a busy Cairo metro station, stunning bystanders. His slogan is "One of Us". Television cameras and photographers crowded around the smiling politician, who most people struggled to identify. He shook hands and listened to street children and vendors complain about food prices and high rates of crime. "I am happy to be here among you. I promise, if elected, I will bring back the rights of the poor, the rights of the country," he told excited passengers. "Who is that man?" asked 41-year-old government bureaucrat Amany. "This is a strange sight indeed. Could you have ever pictured this just a year ago?" she added, smiling. That kind of sentiment reflects another challenge cited by campaigners: making voters feel their opinion matters. For most of his era, Mubarak's position as president was uncontested, confirmed in referendums held every six years. But in 2005 and under U.S. pressure, his administration held what was billed as Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential vote. The far-from-perfect election secured Mubarak's fifth term in office but did little to boost his democratic credentials. "A wide strata of Egyptian society has spent the last 60 years playing no role in selecting either a president, a representative or anything. So the concept of choice is new in itself," said Moaness. IT'S NOT A DONE DEAL One frequently heard view holds that the fate of the presidency will be decided in a behind-the-scenes deal between the Brotherhood and the ruling military council which could seal the result by mobilizing their resources behind one candidate. Yet the campaign managers, paying more attention to the electoral landscape than anyone, believe that view is both overly simplistic and unrealistic. One asked just how the military would be able to manipulate the vote in a country where these days every government move comes under intense scrutiny. And Muslim Brotherhood support, while an asset, is not necessarily going to be decisive. Abol Fotouh is expecting strong support from within the group despite his feud with its leadership. But his campaign is leaving nothing to chance. At campaign HQ, workers upload content to Facebook and Twitter sites, plan events and teach activists how to recruit volunteers. "You are the campaign," states a slogan on the wall. The media campaign is headed by Ali El-Bahnasawy, a journalist who wrote a book on winning an election. He recalls how his enthusiasm for politics grew when he was in New York in 2009 and got to witness Michael Bloomberg's election campaign. "They had an impressive volunteer base," said Bahnasawy. The Abol Fotouh team has grown from a handful of people one year ago to now stand at 7,000 registered volunteers across Egypt. "It's very enjoyable," Elshahawy, the campaign boss, said, smiling. "Before, I didn't even know what was going on in the next street. Now I am discovering the whole country," he said. (Editing by Peter Millership) World Egypt Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Saturday, 24 March 2012
U.S. soldier in Afghan killings faces 17 murder charges |
Russia's Medvedev warns West over missile shield |
White House confirms Obama, Pakistan prime minister to meet |
Italy won't rush disputed labor reform |
Bahraini protesters battle police outside Manama |
Egyptians learn fast in campaign for historic vote |
Apple's devoted shareholders get rich, and hang on |
Nokia Siemens, German unions agree on 1,600 job cuts |
RIM to give out prototype BlackBerry device |
Web address controversy deepens after U.S. warning |
Akamai CEO sets $5 billion revenue target by 2020 |
Hollywood showbiz bible Variety up for sale |
Game show host Bob Barker pays elephants' airfare |
Kim Kardashian laughs off flour-bomb attack |
TV's Simon Cowell ready for challenge of The Voice |
U.S. soldier charged with 17 murders in Afghan killings |
Mali hit by looting after coup, president safe |
North Korea to hold first parliament session under new leader |
Pope's trip sparks hopes for change in Cuba |
Europe bishops slam Saudi fatwa against Gulf churches |
France to resume election race after gunman's death |
Indian Maoists kidnap lawmaker during Italian hostage talks |
Egyptians learn fast in campaign for historic vote |
Gangs in crime-plagued El Salvador call a truce |
BATS exchange withdraws IPO after stumbles |
Facebook, lawmakers warn employers not to demand passwords |
HP hikes dividend by 10 percent |
AOL hires Evercore to sell patent portfolio: report |
KIT Digital: 4 directors quit; shares slide |
Apollo set for major 'Big Brother' stake |
1980s comedian Gallagher says he will retire |
Hunger Games midnight madness lures $19.7 million |
Anti-Kony campaign in turmoil after filmmaker's breakdown |
Stan Lee puts himself into his latest comic book |
TV's Simon Cowell ready for challenge of The Voice |
Homs pounded, Syrian tanks enter northern town |
African Union launches U.S.-backed force to hunt Kony |
Mali junta leader Sanogo denies counter-coup rumors |
Deadly clashes in Egypt after soccer club banned |
Tunisia to elect post-uprising parliament by March |
Palestinian PM says freed U.S. aid to help ease crisis |
BATS exchange withdraws IPO after stumbles |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01