Egypt Is Voting and We Ought to be Cheering Them On

Egyptians are at the polls for the second day today, and according to the ministry in charge of voting, they are turning out in masses to cast their ballots for the new parliament. This is a real indication of the solidarity of the Egyptian people behind the revolution that ousted Mubarak in February.

And, if you consider that just last weekend, there were riots and violence around the center of Cairo because of fears that the military had hijacked the revolution and turned it into a military dictatorship, the numbers voting in this first round is to be loudly applauded.

That they would have to pay an $85 fine for not voting may have been an extra incentive, but Egyptians seem to be genuinely interested in exercising their right to vote in the first free and fair election in more than 50 years. Some young family members actually carried their grandparents to the polls to be sure they voted, and that they were not fined.

Those who talked to TV reporters during the voting process, either waiting in the sometimes 3-hour lines or after voting, explained their presence in several ways.

First, they want to be free and democratic.

Second, they do not want to fall back into the evils of dictatorship (here, many spoke of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist organizations) after finally freeing themselves from the last one.

Third, they feel they may not get another chance to vote if they boycott this election and are voting for their children and the future.

Fourth, they know that the candidate lists are flawed, that the election will not represent their wishes fully, and that more elections will be required to finally set things right after the new constitution is written and adopted, but they also know that the time is now and that they must participate.

So, let us keep faith with Egypt and her people.

Let us support every effort they make to move toward representative government.

Let us find ways to tell them we are with them and will welcome them into the community of free nations as soon as they are able to join.

Let us be convinced ourselves that these long-suffering people are democrats at heart, no matter how many groups are trying to sidetrack them.

Let us, above all, not expect that Egyptians will be perfect the first time they try to become a democratic nation. It takes time and we must understand and help in every way we can.