It is not possible to do it in the page itself. This is a type of question frequently asked to an electoral expert. To answer it would be necessary to know quite a bit about the time required to complete the different stages of an electoral process. Some of those times are based in technical considerations – like the time required for printing of ballots. There are also “legal” times as for example delays established in the law, and “political” times related to decision-making on certain complex issues. The times are not unchangeable. “Technical” times usually can be shortened with additional expenditure and “non-technical” times could usually be modified if there is sufficient political will to make certain decisions or to undertake changes in the legal framework. Many of the different stages are linked, so it would be necessary to use professional programme management software. A professional would not answer “no”, “yes” or even “undecided” to the question you post. The only professional answer to your question is “I don’t know. Give me some time so I can get the necessary information and I will come with an answer most probably approximate”. What is the moral of the story? There are some 50 people who gave you their best hunches. The problem with such hunches, is that the accumulation of them do not make the result correct. And you do not even know if the persons who are answering have some knowledge on the subject because the question is not formulated to experts but to the general public. If you go to a nunnery and ask the nuns there for the best night club in town, and some of them are nice enough to answer the question, you would have a formal poll and a majority opinion. However, it is not necessarily valid or relevant – hopefully the nuns do not have the relevant experience.

John Beak

Citizens are not always experts in their own country Constitution, I guess. So what do you suggest: to prevent people without a Degree from voting in general Elections?

The point is not about voting. It is about organizing elections, and making estimated of the time required, in certain conditions, to put everything in place so that people can vote. I am sure the citizens are ready. What I am not sure is whether all the other elements in the organization of an election are ready. And for answering that information you need some basic information.

First of all: Hurray for Egypt! They have shown us, once again, that democracy is a human istint, not just a mere invention for rich countries. I think they are ready for new elections, in fact they have a strong and wide civil society base, they are fed up with Mubarak's dictatorship, and they are motivated by very good examples of ISLAM+ democracy (I'm referring to Jordan and Turkey). These are the pillars for building up a brand new country. Thanks for giving us the right to vote a poll, very democratic from you! a website like ACE without a poll would be a contradiction in terms, wouldn't be?

I was not arguing about the right of the people to vote, either in Egypt or in polls organized by ACE facilitators. I would fully support such right – always. I was arguing about the wisdom of the original poll question: In the light of the recent events in Egypt, do you think that the country is ready for an early election? To vote on whether a “country” is ready is deceptive. We might discuss if Egyptian political parties or civil society organizations are ready to participate meaningfully in a free and fair electoral process. I suppose that in some cases, like the DRC, we might argue if there are logistical conditions for holding an election. Or we might exchange ideas about the capacity to take care of the security aspects in whatever time is available in the case of Afghanistan. All of these are legitimate aspects of a discussion, not necessarily of a poll. I was trying to comment on the original question from one specific angle: that of electoral preparations, with which I am somewhat familiar. And it is an excellent subject for discussion. Are binominal constituencies to be maintained? Would the requirement of having one half of workers or farmers be maintained? How long would it take and through which procedures is the electoral law to be changed – should that be decided? Are the voter’s rolls adequately updated? All these are subjects for discussion and from such discussion better information would emerge as to the viability of holding elections in Egypt in a short period. I do not mind the discussion, and would be happy to participate in it. What I dislike is the poll format (or at least the formulation of the questions) as I do not think that people can provide informed answers but only hunches - and the accumulation of hunches cannot be called real information. I don’t think that polls are truly democratic, unless they are taken in the fashion in which deliberative democracy (Fishkin and others) handles polls/votes - involving previous information and deliberation.

Getting just and functional democratic constitution and government through democratic elections are not acts that can be accomplished in a few months, but it is the result of continuous efforts for many years to come. And certainly, any tinkering with undemocratic former constitutions that was made by dictatorships and led to the present situation would not work. Therefore, the people should vote first on a referendum to agree on a basic fundamental law that shall settle the main issues and rights first; and pave the way towards a long, continuous, and arduous process towards a permanent constitution.

Democratic Elections are cyclical events and while the one ends the other begins. If interrupted by violence as the case may be in Egypt, several aspects spring up. Informed and credible civic education programs, perfect early warning systems, gender issues etc will need to be integrated in an elaborated civic and voter education programs and the Civil Society Organizations and Political Parties need to concert on the reforms accepted by all. A professional and credible EMB need to be in place. All this need time. It is the wish of all to see Egypt prosper after this bloody period but this should be handle with care.

Early elections are necessary to put the country back on the democratic track. without elections those in power (the current status quo) will remain and those who went to the streets to demonstrate against the present regime would have done so in vain. Nevertheless, consultations of all key players (civil society, the government and political parties) are necessary. The legal framework (constitution and election laws) and the type of electoral system (first past the post, pr or mixed) that will be inclusive are necessary. Furthermore, a time frame has to be agreed upon by all stake holders. A time frame is necessary to avoid procrastination that will perpetuate the current regime, which is a recipe for continued demonstrations.