وسيجري التصويت في انتخابات مجلس الشورى على مرحلتين تنتهيان في منتصف فبراير شباط ويأتي بعد انتخابات مجلس الشعب التي كانت اكثر الانتخابات ديمقراطية منذ اطاحة الجيش بالنظام الملكي في مصر في عام 1952.

وتعد سلسلة الانتخابات التي جرت لاختيار اعضاء مجلسي البرلمان اول انتخابات تجري منذ ان اسقطت انتفاضة شعبية حسني مبارك من الرئاسة في 11 فبراير شباط من العام الماضي.

وحصل حزب الحرية والعدالة المنبثق عن جماعة الاخوان المسلمين التي كانت محظورة خلال حكم مبارك على 47 في المئة من المقاعد في مجلس الشعب اكثر من اي حزب اخر.

وقال حسين ابراهيم عضو حزب الحرية والعدالة ورئيس كتلته البرلمانية ان انتخابات مجلس الشورى مهمة مثل انتخابات مجلس الشعب.

واردف قائلا ان اعضاء المجلسين سيختارون اللجنة التي ستعد الدستور.

وبموجب فترة انتقالية يكون البرلمان مسؤولا عن اختيار مجلس مؤلف من 100 عضو سيقوم بكتابة دستور جديد ليحل محل الدستور الذي ساعد مبارك على البقاء في السلطة 30 عاما.

وانتخابات مجلس الشورى تكون اقل حدة بشكل تقليدي من انتخابات مجلس الشعب بسبب اتساع الدوائر الانتخابية والذي يجعل من الصعب بشكل اكبر على الناخبين معرفة مرشحيهم.

وسلطات مجلس الشورى محدودة كما انه لا يمكنه وقف القوانين في مجلس الشعب. ولكن يجب التشاور مع اعضائه قبل ان يجيز اعضاء مجلس الشعب اي مشروع قانون.

وسيتقرر مصير 90 مقعدا من مقاعد مجلس الشورى البالغ عددها 270 مقعدا في الجولة الاولى من التصويت يومي الاحد والاثنين مع اجراء جولة الاعادة في السابع من فبراير شباط. وسيتم تقرير مصير 90 مقعدا اخرى خلال المرحلة الثانية من التصويت يومي 14 و15 فبراير شباط على ان تعقد جولة الاعادة في 22 فبراير شباط.

اما التسعون عضوا المتبقين فسيعينهم رئيس مصر المقبل والذي من المتوقع انتخابه في يونيو حزيران بموجب جدول زمني انتقالي وضعه المجلس العسكري الذي سلم مبارك السلطة له قبل نحو عام.

وقال مسؤول في لجنة الانتخابات لرويترز ان “الجزء المنتخب من مجلس الشورى سيجتمع دون الاعضاء المعينين الى ان تجرى انتخابات الرئاسة ويقوم الرئيس الجديد بتعيين التسعين عضوا الاخرين.”

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Protesters headed to Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday, joining hundreds already camped out there, ahead of a mass rally to demand democratic change, a year after the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

Marches will leave Cairo’s mosques after noon prayers and set off for Tahrir, on a day dubbed “the Friday of Pride and Dignity” by the 27 pro-democracy groups organising the rallies.

Protests are also expected in other parts of the country, including the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and the canal city of Suez.

Friday’s rallies mark a year since the army was deployed to control the deadly protests calling for an end to Mubarak’s regime.

The military took power when Mubarak resigned on February 11, in a dramatic turn of events for the Arab world’s most populous nation who had known the same president for 30 years.

But a year later, many are disenchanted and even angry at the ruling military, who protesters accuse of human rights abuses and of reneging on promises of reform.

“Leave!” the independent daily Al-Fagr told the military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Mubarak’s longtime defence minister.

Friday’s rally is to send “the military back to the barracks” the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm said on its front page.

In Tahrir, protesters crowded around the centre of the square where tents have been pitched to mark the sit-in, carrying signs and chanting slogans for the ouster of the ruling military.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has vowed to cede power to civilian rule by June when a new president has been elected, and has repeatedly pointed to recent parliamentary elections — which saw Islamists sweep most of the seats — as proof of its intention to abandon politics.

But protesters accuse the military of seeking to maintain some degree of control over the country’s affairs, even after June.

On Tuesday, Tantawi announced the partial lifting of a decades-old state of emergency in an apparent bid to placate protesters.

But he said the law would still apply to cases of “thuggery”, a move slammed by human rights groups and activists who say the term is too broad and gives authorities free rein to stifle freedoms.

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Egyptian activists are preparing for a mass rally on Friday, after they spent the night in Cairo’s Tahrir Square marking the first anniversary of the uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak.

At least 27 pro-democracy groups have called for the rally to press for democratic change, with marches to set off from mosques after the noon Muslim prayer towards Tahrir, the National Front for Justice and Democracy said.

On Wednesday, Egyptians poured into the main squares of cities across the country, vowing to re-ignite their unfinished revolution, in a day billed as a celebration by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that took power when Mubarak was ousted on February 11.

On January 25 last year, nationwide rallies kicked off the uprising that would change the course of the Arab world’s most populous nation, inspiring hopes of democratic change.

But a year later, many are disenchanted and even angry at the ruling military, who protesters accuse of reneging on promises of reform and of rights abuses.

Egypt’s press on Thursday hailed the “revival” of the revolution after massive crowds took to the streets in Cairo, the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, the canal city of Suez and in the Nile Delta and Sinai peninsula.

“The revolution continues,” trumpeted the independent daily Al-Shorouq, saying millions of Egyptians wanted to see “the end of military rule.”

“The people want the continuation of the revolution,” proclaimed the state-owned Al-Ahram, above a large picture of massive crowds thronging Tahrir Square — the symbolic heart of the Egyptian protests.

Protesters spent a peaceful Wednesday night in Tahrir Square, despite weeks of warnings by the military council and state media of possible trouble.

Egypt’s bourse on Thursday spiked 7.18 percent in a buying spree, after the peaceful and orderly rallies. The main EGX-30 index reached 4432.99 points at the close of trading.

“There was general optimism in the market after the peaceful demonstrations, with expectations of stability on the political and security fronts likely to affect investors positively in the coming phase,” said financial analyst Eissa Fathy Eissa.

Formal celebrations remained discreet on Wednesday, with the overwhelming demand of rallies focused on working for the goals of the revolution.

The independent Al-Tahrir newspaper listed the goals on its front page, including an immediate handover of power to civilian rule, the election of a president, justice for those killed during the uprising, an end to military trials for civilians, as well as social justice and the guarantee of freedoms.

In Cairo, massive marches snaked towards Tahrir, with the chant of “Down with military rule!” ringing across the capital.

By late afternoon, the rally occupied surrounding streets and bridges, in scenes reminiscent of the 2011 protests in which hundreds of protesters were killed and thousands injured.

Mubarak is currently on trial, accused of involvement in the killing of the protesters, and many of his ministers are behind bars on charges of corruption.

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Speaking to Congress and beyond them to the broader electorate, Obama proposed sweeping changes in the tax code — most notably, a minimum 30 percent effective rate on millionaires — to eliminate inequalities that allow the wealthy to pay lower rates than the middle class.

While the biggest proposals in Obama’s election-year speech are considered unlikely to gain traction in a divided Congress, the White House believes the president can tap into voters’ resentment over Wall Street excesses and Washington’s dysfunction.

Obama’s message could resonate in the 2012 campaign following the release of tax records by Mitt Romney, a potential Republican rival and one of the wealthiest men to ever run for the White House. He pays a lower effective tax rate than many top wage-earners.

A new proposal outlined by Obama to ease the way for more American homeowners to get mortgage relief — and to pay for the plan with a fee on banks blamed for helping create the housing crisis — also struck a strong note of populism.

“Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that does the same,” Obama told a joint session of Congress. “It’s time to apply the same rules from top to bottom.”

Taxes are the most divisive issue at the heart of this year’s presidential campaign when Obama is seeking re-election despite a slow economic recovery and a high jobless rate.

Democrats have hammered Republicans in Congress for supporting tax breaks that favor the wealthy while Republicans staunchly oppose tax hikes, even on the richest Americans, arguing they would hurt a fragile economic recovery.

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top congressional Republican, accused Obama beforehand of promoting the “politics of envy” and insisted the election would be a referendum on the president’s “failed” policies.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 8.5 percent in December. No president in the modern era has won re-election with the rate that high.

Obama used the speech to revive his call to rewrite the tax code to adopt the so-called “Buffett rule,” named after the billionaire Warren Buffett, who says it is unfair that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.

Those making more than $1 million a year would pay a minimum effective tax rate of at least 30 percent and their tax deductions would be eliminated under Obama’s plan.

To underscore Obama’s point about tax inequality, Buffett’s secretary, Debbie Bosanek, was to be seated in the first lady’s box in the House of Representatives for Obama’s annual address.

CHINA, PEACE DIVIDEND, HOUSING

Seeking to capitalize on a high-profile platform to draw contrasts with his Republican challengers, Obama also rolled out proposed corporate tax reforms, including a minimum rate on companies’ overseas profits and a tax credit for moving jobs back home.

Taking aim at China — an election-year target of Republicans and Democrats alike over its currency and trade practices — Obama proposed creation of a new trade enforcement unit within the federal government.

Promising what amounts to a peace dividend, Obama also proposed using half of the “savings” from ending the war in Iraq and winding down in Afghanistan to pay down U.S. debt, with the other half going to fixing decaying infrastructure like roads and railways.

According to Congressional Budget Office estimates, savings from the wars would result in “about $440 billion less” in spending in 2012-2021.

On the housing front, Obama said he would send to Congress a proposal to allow more Americans take out new and cheaper mortgages as long as they are current on their payments, savings that would amount to $3,000 per household each year.

Blaming banks for helping to cause the housing crisis in the first place, Obama told Congress that financial institutions would be asked to cover the cost of the plan via a proposed bank fee.

Record-low interest rates have already spurred many U.S. homeowners to refinance their mortgages, but the housing crisis continues to drag on the U.S. economic recovery.

While these initiatives do not offer a quick fix for high unemployment that threatens Obama’s re-election prospects, his speech was a chance to take control of the campaign narrative amid saturation coverage of the volatile Republican race.

Although Obama is fully aware of the legislative obstacles, his aides see this approach scoring political points by turning up the heat on Republicans he accuses of obstructing economic recovery.

“We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by,” Obama said. “Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share.”

Voters learned on Tuesday that Romney, a former private equity firm chief, and his wife paid an effective tax rate of 13.9 percent in 2010 and expect to pay a 15.4 percent for 2011 – tax rates that are far below the top rate of 35 percent on ordinary wages.

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