Brownie Points and Pretense

Ritzy's Weekly Eye on the English Language Press:

BROWNIE POINT: Dispatches by foreign correspondents this week have mentioned that President Mubarak is not available for interviews or press conferences; in other words: he does not want to answer questions. But to portray the image of a head of state open to the media, an interview has been granted to Al-Ahram Weekly’s editor in chief – accidentally appointed by the incumbent himself. A round-up of the Arabic press columns provides more insight to the election game.

PUBLIC PRETENSE: Following the public reaction to the different candidates campaigns, Mubarak’s “I have come to Assuit seeking out your vote,” is tagged the key-phrase of the week. For him to ask people to choose him is definitely something new. One columnist “described the elections as a "cheater's form of democracy", comparing them to a student who hasn't studied all year, who suddenly decides, on the night before the test, that he has to pass.”