埃及的总统选举就像一千零一夜一样

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Rules tie Egypt’s politics in knots
规定使埃及政治遭遇瓶颈

Apr 14th 2012 | CAIRO | from the print edition



AS IN the 1001 Nights, Egypt’s presidential race features tales within tales and plots within devilish plots. Predictably, suspense reigns over which of the 23 registered candidates will win. But just now it is not clear if any will even survive the first lap.

埃及的总统选举就像一千零一夜一样，以故事情节极度繁复曲折为特点。我们可以预测的是，23名登记候选人中谁是赢家仍悬而未决。但是，眼下甚至是否有人能在第一轮中幸存下来尚不清楚。

The insurgent campaign of Hazem Abu Ismail, a rotund lawyer-turned-preacher whose jolly demeanour belies a radical Islamist agenda, is foundering on news that his late mother may have been—horrors!—an American citizen. This would bar him from running under Egypt’s strict nationality rules.

哈泽姆 阿布 伊斯梅尔是一个身材圆胖，由律师转行过来的传教士，其可笑的行为揭穿了一个激进的伊斯兰教主义者的日常工作事项，他来势汹汹的参选活动因一则新闻报道而渐渐销声匿迹，该报道称他已故的母亲可能曾是——令人惊骇！——一个美国公民。这在埃及严格的国籍规定下将会阻碍他的竞选活动。

Mr Abu Ismail loves nothing more than to rail against America, and his fellow Islamists have enthusiastically backed the nationality rules. The only consolation is that they work against his rivals, too. Abdel Moneim Abolfotoh, a more moderate Islamist, is accused of holding a Qatari passport. The father of Muhammad Selim al-Awa, another Islamist would-be president, is rumoured to be Syrian. The current poll leader, Amr Moussa, who is running as a nationalist and is admired for his Israel-bashing while foreign minister, is alleged to have had a Jewish mother who was also a Mossad spy.

阿布爱做的事无非是抱怨美国，他的伊斯兰教同道者满腔热情地支持了这些国籍规定。唯一的慰藉就是这些规定对他的对手而言也是不利的。阿布德尔 穆奈姆是一个更为稳健的伊斯兰教徒，他被控告持有卡塔尔的护照。穆罕默德塞利姆的父亲是另一个想要成为总统的伊斯兰教徒，谣传他是叙利亚人。当前的民意检测领导人，阿姆鲁 木沙，他正以民族主义者的身份参选，并因其对以色列的抨击行为而受到赞赏。然而，据称外交部长有过一个犹太人母亲，她还曾是摩萨德（以色列情报机关）的间谍。

These challenges may not stand, but other candidates face bigger hurdles. Khairat al-Shater, a Muslim Brotherhood strongman, could be barred under a provision that bans ex-convicts from running for political office, even if they received pardons and were jailed for political crimes. The same rule has already blocked another former political prisoner, and the Brothers take the threat seriously enough to have registered a backup candidate.

这些难题可能站不住脚，但是其他的候选人面临着更大的障碍。海拉特阿尔沙特是一个穆斯林兄弟会的铁腕人物，他可能因一条禁止前科犯竞选政府机关的规定而被禁止参选了，即使这些前科犯已经得到了原谅，也因政治犯罪而锒铛入狱了。同样的规定已经阻碍了另一名前政治犯（的参选之路），穆斯林兄弟会相当认真地对待了这一威胁，已登记了一名预备候选人。

They have also used their parliamentary strength to mount a counterthrust, rushing to enact a law that would ban officials from the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak from politics. Among other things, this would rule out the grim former spy chief, Omar Suleiman, whose late entry to the race has raised howls of outrage from revolutionaries.

他们也使用了其国会的力量来加强了一次反击力度，他们匆匆忙忙地颁布了一条法律禁止官员将胡斯尼穆巴拉克政权驱逐出政治领域。除了其他方面，这会将冷峻的前间谍首领奥马尔苏莱曼剔除出局，他最近参加竞选的行为已经引起了革命分子的愤怒。

A final plot twist has come with a court decision that has stopped (pending appeal) the work of a recently appointed assembly charged with writing a new constitution. This makes it almost certain that the new constitution will be finalised only after a new president is chosen. The tragicomedy is sure to go on.

最后一个情节波折来源于一个法院判决，这一判决暂停了（上诉待定）一个最近被任命负责拟定新宪法的大会工作。这使得新宪法只会在新总统选出后才完成的说法几乎得到确定。这出悲喜剧肯定还未完待续。

from the print edition | Middle East and Africa