Undecided voters to determine result of Egyptian elections

Experts note that it is hard to predict who will win the election while also underlining that some unpleasant incidents may take place following the elections.

Jailan Gabr, a columnist at Al-Masry al-Youm, notes that the country is at a critical juncture and calls on all parties to accept the election results. Gabr holds that the demonstrations will hurt the people most and the system will end up being completely deadlocked in the country.

According to Mohammad Abdulkadir, an expert with the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Research, the undecided and impartial voters will determine the fate of the election.

Stressing that more than half the population did not go to the ballots in the first round of the elections, and that half of those who voted did not support the candidates who qualified for the second round, Abdulkadir states that in this case, the winner should pursue a cautious policy. Noting that the people would take the streets again if that Shafiq attempts to revive the regime of Hosni Mubarak, which he is accused of favoring, Abdulkadir also underlines that Mursi has to embrace all segments of society.

Mursi and Shafiq both received about 24 percent of the vote in the first round; nationalist-leftist candidate Hamdin Sabbahi followed these two by a small margin. Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh and Amr Moussa, who had appeared to be strong candidates, did not qualify.

Ahmed Fathi, an expert at the diplomacy desk of the Al-Shuruq daily, stresses that there are now three main political groups in Egypt: the Muslim Brotherhood, the supporters of the former regime and the impartial actors.

Fathi, noting that the impartial voters will determine the further course of the elections, also recalls that the policies and discourses that the winning party adopts after the elections will influence politics.

Before the second round of elections to be held on June 16-17, some political leaders, including Sabbahi, have appealed to the Supreme Presidential Elections Commission with claims of electoral fraud. The board, however, has dismissed the allegations.

The winner will have to deal with enormous problems, including unemployment, political turmoil and security considerations.

The people are particularly concerned that neither of the candidates has presented a sound economic program to address the ongoing economic issues.

Fathi stresses that the candidates have failed to develop sound policies to resolve people's problems and also notes that this raises serious concerns over the future of the country.

The relations between the winning party and the military are also extremely important. The army, accused of supporting Shafiq, stresses that it will not support any of the candidates and further maintains that it will transfer its powers and authority to the winner regardless of his political background and identity.

However, the military holds a wide range of privileges in such fields as the economy and politics, and experts note that it is unlikely that they will want to give them up. In the event that Mursi comes to power, he will have deal with a long-term stand-off with the army.

One of the most controversial issues that the new leader has to address is a new constitution. The parties disagreed on a constitution even before the presidential elections and the constitutional commission was dissolved by a court. Under the former constitution, the president had extensive powers. This has raised concerns among people that the new president may become like Mubarak.