Page 19 - Issue 72

V O L .1 E L I T E ISSUE 72

problem are interconnected and not separate.
The state, despite urging citizens to participate
in the Senate elections thru advertisements and
text messages like during the presidential
elections. But the Senate elections require the
state to exert greater effort to encourage citizens,
as the presidential elections are much easier for
most citizens compared to the procedures of the
Senate elections. Therefore, the government not
only needs to encourage citizens thru
advertisements, clarifying the election date and
the candidates, but also needs to provide a
detailed explanation of the procedures involved
in these elections. For most citizens, the Senate
elections are complex because they combine the
list system and the individual system.
Consequently, the ordinary citizen cannot
understand these complex procedures on their
own and thus does not vote. And therefore, the And if we continue the thread we started to
government's role here is of utmost importance address the roots of the problem, we find that
because a large percentage of voter when the state performs those basic tasks we
participation depends on the government's outlined, which represent the citizen's right, this
efforts. Therefore, for the state to ensure will lead to solving part of the second root of
significant participation from citizens during the the problem, which is the Egyptian citizen.
elections, it must provide them with a detailed When the state fulfills its complete role toward
explanation of the elections, clarifying the the citizen, on one hand, this will help increase
system based on which candidates are selected the political awareness of the citizen because
(which is the system that combines individual they will start to see and understand all the
and list voting). It is also preferable for the details related to the Senate elections that they
government to explain to the people the criteria previously knew nothing about. So, if the citizen
based on which these individuals were chosen as has a low level of political awareness, the
candidates for the elections, as clarifying this information provided by the state will increase
point will assure citizens of the integrity on that political awareness, encouraging the citizen
which these candidates reached the elections. to participate. On the other hand, many citizens
Finally, the state must ensure the integrity of the who doubt the integrity of the elections,
elections during the voting period. So all these whether in terms of the eligibility of these
things are extremely important and emphasize candidates to reach the election stage or the
the state's responsibility toward the citizen, and integrity of the electoral process in general,
it is the citizen's right before the voting process when they see that the state publishes the
to find all the details they want to know in the criteria based on which these candidates were
easiest way to accommodate the ordinary selected and confirms that all measures have
citizen. And what has been clarified is the been taken to ensure the integrity of the
fundamental and natural role that rests with the electoral process, all this will reassure the citizen
State, but unfortunately, what happened during and make him confident in the transparency
those elections was only to inform the citizen and credibility of the elections, encouraging him
about who the candidates are and the election to vote. Thus, part of the second root of the 19
date. problem has been addressed, which is the