2005 Egyptian presidential election

none Egypt presidential 1999 Egyptian presidential confirmation referendum 1999 2012 Egyptian presidential election 2012 7 September 2005 31,826,284 22.95% Hosni Mubarak ritratto.jpg Hosni Mubarak National Democratic Party (Egypt) 6,316,714 88.57% f88017 Ayman Noor (cropped).jpg Ayman Nour El-Ghad Party 540,405 7.58% President Hosni Mubarak National Democratic Party (Egypt) Hosni Mubarak National Democratic Party (Egypt) Results of the 2005 Egyptian Presidential election by governorate.png Results by governorateMubarak: #11573B >80% Presidential elections were held by the authoritarian Hosni Mubarak regime in Egypt on September 7, 2005, the first to feature more than one candidate. Incumbent president Hosni Mubarak was re-elected for a fifth consecutive six-year term in office, with official results showing he won 88.6% of the vote. The elections were marred by widespread reports of voter intimidation, payments to Mubarak voters, and pressure on poll workers to instruct voters to vote for Mubarak.2005-09-08 In Egypt, voting for president marred by fraud charges https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/world/africa/in-egypt-voting-for-president-marred-by-fraud-charges.html The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Most major opposition parties boycotted the elections due to concerns about the willingness of the authoritarian regime to conduct the elections fairly. The opposition said the results were forged.2008-04-08 Egyptian Opposition Say Presidential Election Rigged https://www.rferl.org/a/1061294.html Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty en Mubarak's main opponent, Ayman Nour, of the El-Ghad Party, is estimated to have received 7.3% of the vote and Numan Gumaa received 2.8%, however, Nour claimed that prior polling results showed over 30%.November 2012 Criticism of the election process has centred on the process of selecting the eligible candidates, and on alleged election-law violations during voting. Mubarak was sworn in for his new term on September 27. Candidates The election was the first-ever multi-party election in the history of Hosni Mubarak's rule. Ten parties were set to take part; the leading candidates were: Hosni Mubarak of the National Democratic Party Numan Gumaa of the New Wafd Party Ayman Nour of the El-Ghad Party Also contending were: Osama Shaltut of the Solidarity Party Ibrahim Turk of the Democratic Union Party Ahmad al-Sabahi of the Umma Party Rifaat al-Agrudi of the National Conciliation Party Fawzi Ghaza of the Egypt 2000 Party Mamduh Qinawi of the Constitutional Party Wahid al-Uqsuri of the Egypt Arab Socialist Party (disqualified on September 3) Change from referendum on Mubarak's rule Before the 2005 election, Egyptians had only been able to approve or reject a candidate appointed by parliament, which was dominated by Hosni Mubarak's NDP. Mubarak had been re-elected four times during his 24-year rule by such a referendum. Mubarak won the 1999 referendum with almost 94% of the vote, though turnout was probably around 10%.2005-09-08 Opposition claims massive fraud in Egypt electoral poll http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2005/09/08/afx2212162.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110603232004/http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2005/09/08/afx2212162.html 2011-06-03 Forbes bur-jmm/pvh/ra AFX Under United States pressure, Egypt agreed to allow multi-party elections for the first time.Efron Sonni Marshall Tyler February 28, 2005 U.S. Pressure Helped Prompt Egypt's Call for Competitive Race https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-feb-28-fg-egypt28-story.html?_amp=true Los Angeles Times World & Nation A constitutional amendment approved in a referendum in May 2005 opened the way for multi-candidate presidential elections. 2005 presidential election process left|thumb|Ballot paper. Under Egyptian election law, all Egyptians over age eighteen are required to vote. However, out of a population of approximately 77,500,000 (the largest in the Arab world), only about 32 million voters were registered (approximately 40% of the total population). Under the election law, parties proposed candidates for the election, which were reviewed by the Presidential Election Commission. Of the 30 proposed candidates, only 10 were allowed to participate in the presidential election by the Presidential Election Commission. One prominent candidate not allowed to run was Talaat Sadat, the nephew of former President Anwar Sadat, who appealed his disqualification unsuccessfully. Egypt's largest Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood, was not permitted to field a candidate for the election because the organization is banned by the government, which prohibits political parties with a stated religious agenda. The Brotherhood did not back any of the other candidates, but they encouraged Egyptians to go to the polls and vote for anyone other than Mubarak. The election campaign kicked off on August 17, 2005, and lasted until September 4, 2005.August 17, 2005 Egypt election campaigning begins https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4158232.stm BBC NEWS World Middle East While many believed Hosni Mubarak's re-election a foregone conclusion, he campaigned seriously, trying to win votes across Egypt. 9,865 polling places were open until 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 7, so that voters could cast their ballots.September 8, 2005 Counting begins after Egypt's landmark polls http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=19559 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051027054309/http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=19559 2005-10-27 2005-09-07 AFP International News Full results were not expected until at least Thursday September 8. The election was overseen by Egyptian judges. No international monitors were allowed to oversee the election. According to a late August report by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies,25 August 2005 Monitoring the media overage of Egypt's Presidential Elections 2005 : Interim Report ( 17 – 23 August ) http://www.cihrs.org/PDF/interim_report_EN.pdf dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050911043322/http://www.cihrs.org/PDF/interim_report_EN.pdf 2005-09-11 2005-09-09 Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies ( CIHRS ) Cairo media coverage was biased in favour of Hosni Mubarak. If no candidate had received 50% of the vote, the top two candidates would have contested a second election scheduled for September 17. Criticisms of the 2005 presidential election arrangements Some of the main legal opposition parties, including the leftist Tagammu Party and the Nasserist Party, boycotted the election, saying it was unlikely to be free or fair. Those opposing the election said the electoral reforms had not gone far enough because the election regulations severely restricted independent candidates and overwhelmingly favoured the NDP. Secondly, the Muslim Brotherhood, believed to be the most popular opposition group in Egypt, was excluded from running in the elections because Mubarak's government had made it officially illegal and barred from major political processes. Supporters of the Brotherhood and other opposition parties stated that this undermined the credibility of the election. In addition, there appeared to be official harassment of the leading opposition candidate Nour, who was stripped of his parliamentary immunity and arrested in January 2005, on what many observers regarded as trumped-up charges. He was imprisoned for a short time that year before public and international outcry resulted in his release before trial. The New Wafd Party and the Tomorrow (Ghad) Party contested the election even though they had opposed the May 2005 constitutional referendum, and their respective candidates, Numan Gumaa and Ayman Nour, drew significant support—Nour won 12% and Gumaa won 5–7%. Conduct At 10:00 a.m. on September 7, two hours after the start of the election, Egypt's Presidential Election Commission unexpectedly stated that it would allow civil society groups to monitor the election. However, in many cases they were not allowed into polling places and were beaten and interrogated, especially in Southern Egypt.2005-09-07 Egypt vote monitors 'beaten, barred access' http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=14479 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160410005220/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=14479 2016-04-10 2005-09-08 Middle East Online These citizen monitors were in addition to the Egyptian judges who have been allowed to independently monitor the elections.Michael Maggie 7 Sep 2005 Associated Press reporters Nadia abou el Magd in Cairo, Sarah el-Deeb in Alexandria and Hgag Salam in Luxor contributed to this report. Charges of fraud mar Egyptian election http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/12577556.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051106161604/http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/12577556.htm 2005-11-06 14 July 2021 The Kansas City Star English Associated Press Allegations of election law violations surfaced during the voting. News media reported that Mubarak's National Democratic Party transported voters to the polls by bus,Michael Maggie September 7, 2005 Associated Press reporters Nadia abou el Magd in Cairo, Sarah el-Deeb in Alexandria and Hgag Salam in Luxor contributed to this report. Egyptians vote in first contested presidential election http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20050907-0901-egypt-election.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060621173402/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20050907-0901-egypt-election.html June 21, 2006 San Diego Union-Tribune Associated Press and allegedly did not allow voters to mark their choices behind a curtain, an essential requirement of a secret ballot. Polling stations in Cairo were plastered with Mubarak posters and members of the NDP hovered over voters, taking ballots from voters and handing them to polling station officials.Phillips John 8 Sep 2005 Activists defy protest ban as Egypt votes in 'false' election http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article310985.ece live https://web.archive.org/web/20051119054607/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article310985.ece 2005-11-19 14 July 2021 Independent English Online Middle EastDecember 2024 The limited preview that was archived does not fully support this statement. Ayman Nour of the El-Ghad Party, one of the most prominent opposition candidates, along with others, has accused the government of not using truly indelible ink on the hands of voters, allowing voters favoring Hosni Mubarak to remove stamps indicating they had voted and return to vote again. Indelible ink was used only in major boxes, while non-permanent ink was used in many other boxes. There were rumors of certain voters that had no ink at all which would make voter fraud even less difficult.Metro News http://www.metronews.ca/reuters_international.asp?id=93761 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080628053451/http://www.metronews.ca/reuters_international.asp?id=93761 June 28, 20087 September 2005 FACTBOX-Complaints about Egyptian elections EGYPT-ELECTIONS-COMPLAINTS (FACTBOX, UPDATE 1)LANGENAFACSALBYRWSARWSREULBGNSGRBNMDRNAABNCDEMOUMTLGROSOFOILRNPDNPPGESXNA. Factiva LBA0000020050907e197001rw Reuters Nour also alleged that there was widespread vote-buying, a charge supported by the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, though not otherwise corroborated.Sep 7, 2005 Additional reporting by Edmund Blair, Tom Perry in Cairo, Mohammed Abbas in Fayoum and Camilla Hall in the Delta Egytians vote for president https://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=11537 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20210714011535/https://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=11537 2021-07-14 2021-07-14 Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan Reuters The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, while supporting Nour's claims, has stated that the irregularities were insufficient to require a rerun of the election. Results The Mubarak government initially stated that turnout was high, though numbers varied. Surprisingly, on September 9, the government released results and turnout figures that were low and may have been accurate, as low in some places as 19%. On September 8, however, an election official and Mubarak's campaign both stated that it was around 30%.Williams Daniel Wright Robin September 9, 2005 Controversy Swirls Over Egypt Vote: Fraud Is Claimed by Some Groups; U.S. Lauds Step Toward Democracy https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090800151_pf.html The Washington Post Both on election day and afterwards, election monitoring groups stated that turnout was low, reportedly because ordinary Egyptians thought the outcome a foregone conclusion.http://about.upi.com/products/upi_scitech/UPI-20050907-055929-3140R About UPI live https://archive.today/20120708064201/http://about.upi.com/products/upi_scitech/UPI-20050907-055929-3140R July 8, 2012 September 8, 2005 On September 8, anonymous sources stated turnout in Alexandria, the second-largest city in Egypt, was 17%, and turnout in Ismaïlia (a city of about 750,000) was about 24%, with Mubarak taking more than 80% of the vote. Wael Namara, a spokesman for Ayman Nour of the El-Ghad Party, estimated turnout to be between 10 and 15% in the countryside and from 3 to 5% in the cities.Blair Edmund Sep 7, 2005 Additional reporting by Edmund Blair, Tom Perry in Cairo, Mohammed Abbas in Fayoum and Camilla Hall in the Delta Egyptians vote for leader, opposition complains http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-09-07T210521Z_01_SCH718546_RTRUKOC_0_UK-EGYPT-ELECTIONS-OPEN.xml&archived=False dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050911104927/http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-09-07T210521Z_01_SCH718546_RTRUKOC_0_UK-EGYPT-ELECTIONS-OPEN.xml&archived=False 2005-09-11 Reuters UK In previous elections, voter turnout has run at less than 10 percent.Wright Jonathan Sep 7, 2005 Additional reporting by Edmund Blair and Tom Perry in Cairo and Mohammed Abbas in Fayoum Egyptians vote for leader, opposition complains http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-09-07T233301Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-215318-4.xml dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050911043259/http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-09-07T233301Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-215318-4.xml 2005-09-11 2005-09-08 Reuters India Voter turnout in the May 2005 referendum that allowed the presidential election was officially reported as 54%, but judges monitoring the elections said it was more like 3%. Media reports on September 8, based on anonymous statements from election commission officials, stated that preliminary results showed President Hosni Mubarak winning 78–80% of the vote and Ayman Nour winning 12%.Egypt: 2005 Presidential election results https://www.eisa.org/wep/egy2005results.htm 14 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210714012415/https://www.eisa.org/wep/egy2005results.htm 14 July 2021 English Gumaa was reported as receiving 5-7%.Assir Serene 9 September 2005 Panel Rejects Nour's Charge of Vote Fraud http://arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=69756&d=9&m=9&y=2005 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050909101030/http://arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=69756&d=9&m=9&y=2005 2005-09-09 Arab News Late reports from September 8 placed Mubarak's numbers at approximately 72%, based once again on anonymous sources.Each of the following sources separately supports the statements: Perry Tom 8 September 2005 UPDATE 6-Election commission rejects rerun request in Egypt EGYPT-ELECTIONS (UPDATE 6)LANGENAFACSALBYRWSARWSREULBGNSGRBNMDRNAABNCDEMOUMTLGROSOFOILRNPDNPPGESXNA.Factiva LBA0000020050908e198000so Reuters Published as (note: may be slightly different version): Re-election plea rejected in Egypt September 9, 2005 Dawn https://www.dawn.com/news/155960/re-election-plea-rejected-in-egypt; ... 9 September 2005 Call to rerun Egyptian poll turned down. The Irish Times Other World Stories Itronics Limited 10 Factiva IRTI000020050909e1990001b 9 September 2005 Election officials deny request for rerun of Egyptian vote National Post World : World Report A8 All but Toronto Canada Factiva FINP000020050909e19900016 Reuters The official result, that Mubarak won the election with 88.6% of the vote, was announced on September 9, 2005.December 2024 Detailed results, with results and voting breakdowns by province for 15 of the 26 provinces (not including the largest provinces), were published in Al-Ahram, a state newspaper.Wright Jonathan 9 September 2005 Papers put Mubarak ahead with 80 pct in Egypt vote EGYPT-ELECTIONSLANGENAFACSALBYRWSARWSREULBGNSABNCDEMOUMTLGROSOFOILGRBNMDRNARNPDNPPGESXNA. Factiva LBA0000020050909e199000ra. Reuters Published as: Papers: Mubarak wins Egypt vote CNN.com http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/09/09/egypt.elections.reut/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20050913103820/http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/09/09/egypt.elections.reut/index.html 2005-09-13 dead; Papers put Mubarak ahead with 80 pct in Egypt China Daily https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-09/09/content_476547.htm; Papers put Mubarak ahead with 80 per cent in Egypt vote Hindustan Times https://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1487108,00050004.htm ; ... The same source states that Nour won 6.2% in the 15 provinces, 20% in the Nile delta province of Buheira, and 16% in Alexandria. Hosni Mubarak National Democratic Party 6316784 Ayman Nour El-Ghad Party 540405 Numan Gumaa New Wafd Party 208891 Osama Shaltout Solidarity Party 29857 Wahid al-Uqsuri Egyptian Arab Socialist Party 11881 Ibrahim Turk Democratic Union Party 5831 Mamduh Qinawi Free Social Constitutional Party 5481 Ahmad al-Sabahi Umma Party 4393 Fawzi Ghazal Egypt 2000 Party 4222 Rifaat al-Agrudi National Conciliation Party 4106 173185 31826284 IFES Aftermath Nour demands rerun Following widespread reports of election law violations, Nour immediately demanded a rerun of the election. However, the Presidential Election Commission rejected his request as baseless on September 8, 2005, a decision that cannot be appealed. Nour's campaign manager, Wael Nawara, noted the Nour camp's surprise that the Presidential Election Commission would reject Nour's claims "despite the coverage from the media and the repetitive nature of these complaints." International reactions Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal stated that the elections show that Mubarak has democratic intentions and that elections can take place there without harming stability: "The poll that took place in Egypt refutes the case made by those who claim Egypt is unstable and question its march toward the future." United States State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that the United States saw this election as a "historic departure" and the debate during the election process would "enrich the Egyptian political dialogue, certainly for years to come." McCormack also stated that "the Egyptian security services showed discipline in ensuring safety and security" and praised the "relative calm" of Election Day. However, McCormack criticized the lack of international monitors and the late decision to allow monitors, as well as the lack of media access that prevented opposition candidates from getting their message out. As for election day itself, he stated that "there were reports of some irregularities at polling places in terms of campaign posters or t-shirts being seen at the actual polling place and a variety of other issues." The United States expressed its hope that "the Egyptian Government and the Egyptian people can build upon this positive first step in holding this multi-candidate presidential election and build on the positive experiences, the positive actions in this election, as they look towards parliamentary elections in the fall time and look to addressing some of those issues that I mentioned that were less positive."https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2005/52801.htm Daily Press Briefing for September 8 -- Transcript 2017-06-24 Protests by Kefaya movement On September 7, men in plainclothes broke up a Cairo protest by the Kefaya movement calling for Egyptians to boycott the elections, beating some of the protesters.7 September 2005 UPDATE 1-Plainclothes men beat anti-Mubarak protesters EGYPT-ELECTIONS-BEATINGS (UPDATE 1)LANGENAFACSALBYRWSARWSREULBGNSGRBNMDRNARNPDNPPGESXNA. Factiva LBA0000020050907e197001bv Reuters Media sources state that as many as three thousand Kifaya protesters illegally marched on central Cairo, possibly the largest crowd ever drawn by that protest movement, while armed soldiers and police watched.Michael Maggie 8 Sep 2005 Voter-fraud claims mar Egypt's first presidential poll contest http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1906442005 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050911043309/http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1906442005 2005-09-11 The Scotsman International More protests A larger protest of around 10,000 people was organized by Kifaya on September 10, 2005,Optimus September 13, 2005 Anti-Mubarak Demostrations [sic]: September 10, 2005 http://optimusvoices.blogspot.com/2005/09/anti-mubarak-demostrations-september.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110708055544/http://optimusvoices.blogspot.com/2005/09/anti-mubarak-demostrations-september.html 2011-07-08 Voices (optimusvoices.blogspot.com) to contest the election results and the mass rigging activities and cheating that occurred on the election day. It was reported by independent observers, reporters and candidate representatives that the NDP (Mubarak's Party) used government resources to change the election results. In some cases, citizens were beaten or forced to vote for Mubarak. In other cases, the boxes were already filled with marked ballots. However, the most explicit action that provoked the protest was allowing pro-Mubarak voters only to vote without being previously registered in the voter lists, giving Mubarak between 20 and 30 extra illegal points in the results.December 2024 References Further reading Farag Iman 2007-01-17 De Moubarak à Moubarak : l'élection présidentielle de 2005 en Égypte: https://www.cairn.info/revue-critique-internationale-2006-4-page-39.htm?ref=doi Critique internationale fr 33 4 39–51 10.3917/crii.033.0039 1290-7839 subscription Sharp Jeremy M. 2006-01-15 Egypt: 2005 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs10216/ UNT Digital Library English https://web.archive.org/web/20240730093935/https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs10216/ 2024-07-30 External links BBC: Guide to Egypt's election BBC: Egypt votes in landmark election Washington Post: Mubarak Wins Egypt's First Open Vote IFEX: Election coverage favours Mubarak Egypt Egypt Presidential election President President Category:Hosni Mubarak