Photographs by Daniel Etter
Text by Mike Giglio
Helicopter or Sewing machine? Killer whale or water heater? These were some of the unusual choices presented to Egyptian voters by a dizzying array of campaign posters ahead of the country’s first round of parliamentary elections, which began last week. In a country where nearly one third of the population can’t read, candidates identify themselves with telltale symbols to help illiterate voters track them down on the ballot. During the reign of former dictator Hosni Mubarak, those who bothered to vote only really needed to know the logo of the National Democratic Party, which unfailingly won the bulk of parliamentary seats. Now, with Mubarak ousted by popular protests in February, a wealth of new people and parties are competing in a wide-open political field. The election process will draw out through next spring, and it’s still unclear what the elected representatives will control. The legislature is supposed to write the country’s new constitution, but Egypt’s interim military rulers have signaled that they may try to retain some power over the process. In the days leading up to last Monday’s vote, millions of protesters flooded into Tahrir Square to call for the generals to quickly hand over power to a civilian government. But despite the resurgent street violence that ensued, record numbers of Egyptians turned out to the polls. As results trickle in, it’s clear that another symbol will soon dominate the political landscape: the star-and-grain logo of the Muslim Brotherhood–aligned Freedom and Justice Party, which looks set to win the first round of voting in a landslide.
