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May 11th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda The court in Cairo ruled that the country’s election commission exceeded its powers by calling on voters to head to the polls on May 23 to cast their ballots.
It claimed that the date had wrongly been set by an independent electoral commission instead of by the ruling military council.
Egyptians are to vote in the presidential polls on May 23 and 24 while a run-off has been planned for June 16 and 17, if necessary. It will be the country’s first presidential race since the toppling of long-term US-backed Hosni Mubarak in a popular 2011 revolution.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Mostafa Ragab, founder of the Egyptian UK Association, to share his opinion on this issue.
The video also offers the opinion of an additional guest: Saeed Sadeq, professor of political sociology.
The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: Mostafa Ragab, I’d like to focus on the expats. Looking at the numbers roughly 10 million eligible voters, yet less than one million have actually registered to vote. What do you think? Why is that?
Some are saying it is because they do not really have any faith, they think that the Muslim Brotherhood is going to be the one sweeping this as they did in the parliament, of course your thoughts.
Ragab: Can I start first by offering our condolences to our people in Syria and secondly we move to our voting for the presidential elections.
Do not forget it is a new thing and a lot of people abroad, outside of Egypt did not know exactly how to register beside the fact that there were a lot of faults with the system, with the IT for people to register.
So there are a few factors that have prevented a lot of Egyptian abroad to register for the election.
And up till today I have people coming to see me because they wanted to vote, not realizing that they cannot vote because they have not registered.
So this is a new experience. I am sure the Egyptians abroad will be more aware in next elections to come and do much better.
But talking about the delay for the presidential elections, I do not think that will be to anybody’s advantage. We are looking at an election, 13 candidates standing for it. Less than half of them are known to the Egyptian people, known to the Egyptian abroad. A few of them have taken advantage of their names.
But let’s be honest. I do not see the ideal leader for Egypt among those candidates but at the end of the day we have to choose one to lead us through this very difficult time, this very difficult complicated time that Egypt is going through as a result of all the things that the Egyptian people [have] been through, through the last decades of poverty and very low standard of awareness and they suffered from all this that we experience now.
Press TV: Mostafa Ragab, it is interesting because we also had another guest who indicated the same sentiment that they do not have any faith or any trust or belief, any of the candidates are going to be holding the true representation of Egyptians and of course the points of the revolution. Well tell us which one you think perhaps comes closest to that?
Or maybe I should ask you about Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood hopeful of which this had been the headline that came out in some of the local papers. What do you think of him?
Ragab: I personally think if I say my personal opinion that might influence people due to my position and I would not go through that but I can say that I personally do not see the ideal candidate or the ideal president to lead Egypt through this difficult time.
Press TV: Do you agree with that, what our guest there professor Sadeq said especially the fact that is going to take five to ten years for things to fall into place?
Ragab: Let’s not forget that the Muslim Brotherhood have lost some grounds in terms of influence in Cairo or in Egypt but we must say that they still have control of the Egyptian streets. They still have an influence there and I must say this influence will be very, very strong in the presidential elections.
So maybe at the end of the day regardless of what we think it will be what the Muslim Brotherhood will support for the presidential elections.
What really concerns me there that the president that will be elected will he [be] a president with all powers in his hands because the constitution is not there yet to decide what sort of power the president will have. What kind of relationship the president will have with the Military Supreme Council, the army?
This is very, very important and very sensitive. That is what concerns me for now but we cannot neglect that the Muslim Brotherhood have a strong influence despite them losing grounds lately after what they are showing in Egyptian parliament.
Press TV: I got to bring in Mostafa Ragab to get his final thoughts. Same question to you in thirty seconds or less if you can.
Ragab: America, I am hundred percent sure that they will make sure they will carry on in doing their aids. They like to make sure that there is presence for them in Egypt, for they want out of Egypt also Saudi Arabia and other countries as well.
We cannot forget that there are a lot of countries now in Egypt working towards their benefit, how strong their relationship will be with the new Egyptian government and the new president.
AHK/JR
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