Will other countries in the ME demand the right to vote ?

[drdon326]

LIKE SAUDI ARABIA,Kuwait,and Syria?

how about Iran?

Will others countries/governments feel any pressure from their own people?

[Jack Rabbit]

1. Iran holds elections the way the neocons would like to

No need for fraud. Voters get to vote for the candidate of the power elite's choice.

Of course, the power elite is a council of twelve mullahs. The neocons would like to replace that with a council of twelve transnational corporate CEOs. Otherwise, they don't seem to have a problem with the system.

[drdon326]

2. Jack.....

no, i'm talking about the people rising up and demanding free and fair electiobs.

[Jack Rabbit]

3. No, you're talking about repressive regimes granting it

Thugs like the Sauds or the Hashims will grant elections, but only under conditions that serve their purpose. For example, today's vote in Iraq, granted by Bush and the neoconservatives.

If your point is that that is some sort of fantasy, then it is well taken.

So, if the people do not rise up and demand free and fair elections, there will be none. That is my point, put bluntly.

[Yupster]

4. I just saw something

that said that Mubarrek would run for another six year term, but no opposition candidate would be allowed on the ballot. Just a Mubarek yes or no vote.

I can hope this will lead to other elections, but I'm not optimistic.

A couple of days ago the King of Jordan criticized the Iraq elections.

I bet his election for king was a lot more democratic.

[Jack Rabbit]

5. The King of Jordan doesn't have a lot of room to talk

There is a parliament in Jordan, which the King is free to dissolve or just ignore whenever he likes. It's a dictatorship with a crowned head.

As for Egypt's "election", I wonder if a voter would even have the option of voting No on Mubarak. It could be arranged so that one either votes for Mubarak or one's vote is not counted. In that case, all Mubarak would need to win is one vote.

Democracy is a state where:

• Citizenship is universal. Each person born within the boundaries of the state is a citizen, as is one born abroad to at least one citizen parent or who swears allegiance to the state in a rite of naturalization.
• Citizenship is equal. Each citizen has an equal opportunity to participate in and influence public affairs. Every adult citizen shall be enfranchised with the right to vote. Decisions are made by a majority voted based on the principle of one man/one vote.
• Citizenship is inalienable. A guaranteed set of civil liberties is in place to assure full and open public discourse of civic affairs. No citizen may be stripped of his citizenship or otherwise punished by the state for expressing any point of view, no matter how unpopular or even absurd.

As this relates to the discussion at hand, a system where only one candidate is allowed to run or a system where a group of elitists determine who is qualified to run using some sort of religious or ideological test is not a democracy.

Democracy is necessarily an open system.