Budding Egyptian Democracy a hopeful yet challenging movement

After 11 months of struggle in Egypt to implement an effective democracy, Egypt is finally headed in the direction of having a fair and favorable government. Despite widespread public support for the movement, it will be a formidable challenge to successfully carry out the implementation of a democratic government in Egypt after a prolonged dictatorial regime.

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak had been in office since 1987 due to self-made changes in the Egyptian constitution that allowed him to run for office without opposition, and by modifying the number of votes counted during elections.
After years of discontent, public resentment toward Mubarak boiled over as massive protests began in early 2011. On Feb. 11, following a month of unrelenting protests in Tahrir Square in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, Mubarak resigned as president of Egypt and gave the army control of the country.
By Nov. 30, nine out of 27 districts of Egypt’s population had finished visiting the polls and voting for representatives to seat the lower house of Parliament, a chamber that contains 498 seats. The election is taking place in three stages for two days each time, but all 27 districts will complete their voting by January.
This first round of voting was a pleasant reprieve from the corrupt elections administered by the Mubarak regime. Seventy percent of the population of the nine districts voted during the first round of the election. This huge turnout is a major indication of potential democratic success, since such a large number of people support the budding democracy.
Despite the signs of reform and democracy, it seems as if Egypt is too unsteady to accommodate such a radical change in government, from a 30-year secular dictatorship to a democracy. Inflation and unemployment are both high, thus resulting in a shaky infrastructure as the people of Egypt have focused all of their efforts towards constructing a democratic government.
An additional concern for the future of the Egyptian people are the two political parties expected to dominate the Egyptian senate—the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafies. The Brotherhood and the Salafies have opposing agendas, which could lead to conflict in the future.
The Brotherhood plans to eradicate corruption in the Egyptian government and implement a plan to mend the fragile economy. The Salafies, an ultra-conservative Islamic group, favors the implementation of radical Islamic beliefs into Egyptian law, such as disallowing female suffrage.
Although the majority of Egyptians do not wish for the new government to emerge as a religious-based institution, the Brotherhood and the Salafies may form an alliance in the future, which could potentially lead to the rise of an oppressive Islamic republic.
If the extreme Islamic politicians prevail in Egypt, yet another country could be ruled over by Islamic law. The U.S. could risk being on bad terms with yet another Middle Eastern country, further strain the relationship between America and the Middle East.
Although the Egyptians face threatening internal issues, the recent elections have resulted in a boost in morale and nationalistic pride. Once the Egyptians are sure that their requests for a democratic government have been fulfilled, they will be able to shift their focus to rebuilding the country economically as well as politically.