Election and voting in Egypt and Denmark

In this post, Group 1 is going to take a look at the elections and voting turnout in both Egypt and Denmark. Needless to say, the issues are very different. Let's take a closer look!

In Egypt, the voter turnout is low according to statistics (27% in the last presidential elections, 2005). There are different reasons for this. One main reason could be the general sense of Egyptians that voting is useless and wouldn’t change anything. This is because of vote-rigging, corruption, and the lack of government support to educate people on culture of voting and political participation. Other factors should also be considered, such as the socioeconomic conditions of Egyptians.

Additionally, it seems to be that Egyptian women are more excluded from the political expression because of culture and traditions in some regions of Egypt. According to a recent survey, Egyptian youth are politically disengaged with only 2-3% involved in political activities.

Suggested solutions are political participation awareness raising activities. This could be accomplished through NGOs, students’ unions and workers syndicates to restore the activism spirit among Egyptians. Education reform is also important to cultivate the culture of active citizenship early on.

There is room for improvement, but progress is too slow. More work on grassroots level is necessary. Moreover, the process would take time till the Egyptian voter regain their trust and get over their fear of participation.


Meanwhile, in Denmark, a completely different debate is going on…

The voter turnout is 85-90% in the national elections. The debate lies in youth participation in the political process. The main question posed here is: at what age should the Danish youth be allowed to vote?

In Denmark, a lot of surveys have shown that youth at age 16-17 show great interest in voting and political participation. But they’re not allowed to vote until they turn 18. Why then, shouldn’t they be allowed to vote?

On the other side of the debate, 18 is also the age of maturity in Denmark, and it should remain that way. A lot of 16 year olds are not necessarily mature enough to embrace full responsibility for their own lives. And democratic participation must mean full participation, not only the right to cast your vote and be elected. It would be rather absurd to have a Member of Parliament - or even a minister - who would need his parents’ signature to enact new legislation.

The solution is ritualizing democracy. When you graduate in Denmark, you get a nice cap, a ceremony and a party. Why not make a ritual for first-time voters and celebrating this process? This would encourage youth and it would probably make them reflect more on their votes and illustrate that voting rights shouldn't be taken for granted.