Article

Statement by Congressman David Dreier and Jane Harman on Egyptian Presidential Elections

By Jane Harman on May 25, 2012

Wilson Center President Jane Harman spent a week in Egypt to witness the country’s first free presidential election and to meet political, religious and social leaders. As ballots closed, Harman and US Representative David Dreier released a joint statement on the historic event. “It was an inspiration to see the palpable excitement of Egyptians from all walks of life lining up to cast their ballots to choose their President."

“Once again the Egyptian people have shown their determination to build the first democratically-elected government in modern Egyptian history. We have been in Cairo to witness this important next step. It was an inspiration to see the palpable excitement of Egyptians from all walks of life lining up to cast their ballots to choose their President and shape the future direction of this great country.

The voters and judges we met were pleased with how well the process went. A number of mistakes from the parliamentary elections had been corrected. Egypt appears to have done well under challenging economic and political circumstances.

The vote count is now underway. We look forward to closely following the next steps in this election as Egypt completes its transformation to a representative democracy with a constitution that guarantees the rights of men and women.”

About the Author

Jane Harman

Distinguished Fellow and President Emerita, Wilson Center

Jane Harman, Distinguished Fellow and President Emerita, Wilson Center, is an internationally recognized authority on U.S. and global security issues, foreign relations and lawmaking. A native of Los Angeles and a public-school graduate, she went on to become a nine-term member of Congress, serving decades on the major security committees in the House of Representatives. Drawing upon a career that has included service as President Carter’s Secretary of the Cabinet and hundreds of diplomatic missions to foreign countries, Harman holds posts on nearly a dozen governmental and non-governmental advisory boards and commissions.