Going to the People

One of the tasks interrupted by the Suez invasion was President Nasser's widely publicized promise to provide his regime with a popularly chosen Parliament. Nasser himself often told American visitors, in the friendly old days, that he knew his regime was too narrowly based, and that if he could keep out the corrupt and reactionary old politicians, he would like to revive democracy in Egypt. In fact, his narrow little junta of officers have neither the competence, the imagination or the time to administer Egypt's economy; in their distrust of everything past and pro-Western, they have shut themselves off from the middle-class Egyptians who have experience in government, law and business. Last week Nasser called for candidates to list themselves for an election to be held on the eve of the revolution's fifth birthday next month.

At the time he put forth his constitution last year, Colonel Nasser indicated that the sort of representative assembly he had in mind would be similar to the organ through which Portugal's Premier

Salazar has run his country for the past 24 years. Though "every citizen of this country has the opportunity to nominate himself or decide who deserves to represent him," Nasser said, there would be just one "National Union" ticket and Nasser would decide who went on it. Anybody who had been convicted by his Revolution Tribunal and courts as a "public enemy," and anybody who had been subject to such acts of "administrative custody" as being watched by the police could be, and last week was, "deprived of the exercise of his political rights" and could not stand for office.

Nonetheless, within one week 1,871 candidates--by far the largest number in Egyptian history--filed for the Assembly's 350 seats. Some 35 security officers and twelve judges, along with uncounted captains and majors, resigned their government posts to run, a formidable act of faith considering that Nasser's "National Union" will not decide until some time this month which if any of the hopefuls belong on the one and only ticket.

Overnight, Cairo was ablare with importuning speeches and ablaze with beseeching banners. One candidate had already unmasked a rival as an "American agent," and the rival was desperately taking ads in the papers to protest his 100% Egyptianism. Another was laying siege to coffeehouse customers with a tape-recorded tune: "With freedom elect him. Elect Moussa Sabri." To make sure the fun was harmless, Nasser instituted a new legal provision last week: any speaker who criticizes any public official must furnish the authorities with documentary proof of his charges within five days of making them.

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