Female presidential candidate hopes to make it in Arabic Egypt

She cut short her honey moon to attend the third regional conference on African Women in Political Leadership that was held in Nairobi this week.

That’s how passionate Bothaina Kamel, 49, is about women’s participation in governance and democracy.

Ms Kamel made headlines in April when she declared her candidacy, on twitter, for the forthcoming presidential elections in Egypt, promising to deliver dignity, freedom and social justice. Few took her seriously then, but she is now said to be doing more on the ground than her male competitors.

 A self-proclaimed social democrat, Bothaina Kamel believes that being a woman does not prevent her from achieving her dreams and offering service to society. She is running as an independent candidate, and describes herself as a mother, journalist and Egyptian presidential candidate.

When the I caught up with her in Nairobi, she appeared soft spoken but resolute. She frequently switches between English and French while speaking but remained focused on her point. Additionally, she was wearing a crescent and cross necklace which she said symbolises unity between Coptic Christians and Muslims.

The mother of an 8-year old girl, Ms Kamel believes that her candidacy is not about women but what she can do for Egyptians. Her ex-husband is the Egyptian minister for culture in the transitional council and she says they still relate well. Her new husband is a judge who she regards her biggest supporter.

Kamel blames the Salafi, puritanical way of thinking, for the diminishing women’s roles in society and participation in public life in Egypt. In the 2005 presidential election staged by the Mubarak regime one woman – novelist Nawal El-Saadawi - announced plans to run, but then withdrew from the ballot.

Women played a pivotal role in the Egyptian Revolution and although there are no official numbers of how many women died during the uprising early this year, according to Kamel, the number is in the hundreds.

“As much as Egypt needs a leader with a vision for political and economic reforms, it also needs a voice of reason that fiercely fights for the little man,” said Ms Kamel whose campaign slogan is ‘Egypt is my Agenda’.

She has been active in pro-democracy activities, often present at pro-democracy rallies, forming an election monitoring group in 2005, and immediately taking to the streets during the 2011 revolution.

Although a Muslim, she has taken anti-sectarian stances, advocating for equal treatment of Coptic and Muslim places of worship and trying those who incite sectarian violence. Kamel has also been routing for lowering of the minimum age of parliamentarians from 30 to 22 in view of the youth participation in the revolution.

Egypt is Arab World’s most populous country and is characterized by a host of gender biases. Online commentaries on Bothaina Kamel’s candidacy feature such statements as: "Are we so out of men that we would be run by a woman?", "we don't want her deviously inciting our women to forget their role as mother and wife!", "People led by a woman will never succeed," and many more of the sort.

Kamel is never concerned about the negativity. She says that on the ground people she meets are very supportive and she is always received with great warmth and friendliness. Observers argue that even if such her candidacy does not result in victory, it could be massive and fundamentally transformational.

A long time pro-democracy advocate, her professional career has been marked by repeated conflict with authorities. Back when she was a cub reporter, Bothaina Kamel worked on a radio show called ‘The Egypt We Don't Know’, a programme which she contends made her to understand her country better.

She later hosted a popular radio show from 1992 to 1998 called “Nightly Confessions” where callers told her personal stories and asked for advice. The program discussed sexual violence and relationship affairs, thus was stopped after a religious committee ruled that the show tarnished Egypt’s reputation and corrupted the minds of its youth.

She resigned from Egyptian state television rather than participate in what she calls ‘propaganda surrounding the 2005 elections’. Ms. Kamel viewed this job as conveying government newspeak rather than telling viewers the news.

Kamel then moved to TV and hosted an interview-based program called “Please Understand Me” where she had social and political figures discussing an array of current issues. Her show was stopped by the channel after the January 25 revolution, being notified only 30 minutes before the show.

Kamel is an outspoken critic of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Egypt’s ruling power after Mubarak. She believes they only supported the revolution after it was internationally hailed.

On May 14, the military prosecutor questioned Kamel for over five hours regarding her allegations that female demonstrators arrested during the revolution were subjected to forced virginity tests by the military police. However, no charges were pressed against her but being summoned was enough reason for worry.

She has a sense that her outspokenness may put her in danger but is not fearful. “They are the ones who fear me, not the other way round. If I get killed, hundreds will come after me. I am not afraid,” Ms Kamel says while laughing.

In the presidential race, Kamel is up against well known and established politicians. They include Amr Moussa, Egypt’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former head of the Arab League. There is also Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, a former leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood; and Mohamed ElBaradei, the former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.