Political, legislative developments will prevent next year’s presidential elections from being truly democratic: The looming presidential elections are gnawing on the minds of Al Shorouk’s various columnists, including Ashraf El Barbary, who takes to the pages of the newspaper to say that many pieces of legislation circulating in the House of Representatives of late raise questions about how they could factor into elections. El Barbary points in particular to the Judicial Authorities Act (which allows the sitting president to choose the judges who will preside over the elections) and a draft bill aiming to penalize those who criticize the president, saying the latter would make it virtually impossible for a presidential contender to run a political campaign without facing jail time. The political scene is not faring any better, Abdallah El Sennawy says, stressing that the complete lack of political parties or serious nominees will strip the elections of any democratic credibility. Meanwhile, Emad El Din Hussein is looking ahead to the future generation that will run the country down the line, saying he has hope that the youth in the Presidential Leadership Program will be introduced into political life within a few years and bring fresh blood into the state’s institutions.

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