Social media show limits as Egypt elections loom

Egyptians who turned to Facebook and Twitter to galvanize their revolt against Hosni Mubarak are starting to wonder whether faith in social media as the key to Egypt's democratic future might be a little overdone.

As candidates jostle in the run-up to elections to replace military rule with a civilian democracy, politicians have latched onto the web to show they are in tune with the youngsters who began the uprising against the veteran leader.

Many, including former United Nations nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei, have made it their campaign medium of choice for rallying local support and gathering funds, using Facebook's interactivity to spread an image of democratic accountability.

But with illiteracy widespread and only a minority of Egypt's 80 million population using the Internet, relying on Facebook to drum up support could be a risky strategy.

Some candidates are sticking to old-fashioned tactics - pounding the streets, shaking hands and holding rallies before an election date has even been set.

Abdel Moneim Abul Futuh, once a senior figure in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, is holding conferences in the sprawling suburbs of Cairo and other cities.

His speeches are big on patriotic rhetoric and thin on policy, but they allow ordinary voters to identify one man among a potentially confusing array of candidates.

"I will be Egypt's servant, not the president of Egypt. I'll be working for you all," he told residents packed into a large tent in Al Matariya, a poor district north of Cairo, last month.

"I was born and raised in the old neighbourhoods of Egypt," Abul Futuh told the crowd. "I know that what the citizen needs is to secure his needs and those of his family, in dignity."

He then mingled with the residents to debate their problems.

Charm offensives like these are a novelty for many citizens, who used to equate elections with vote buying, ballot stuffing and intimidation by Mubarak supporters.

The Brotherhood was officially banned but tolerated under Mubarak and managed to win one fifth of seats in the lower house of Parliament in 2005 by running candidates as independents.

It has formed a new party, "Freedom and Justice", which is targeting half the seats in the legislature.

The Brotherhood expelled Abul Futuh on June 18 after he defied its pledge not to run for the presidency, but analysts say he still has support from former colleagues.

The popular touch and slick campaigning that he honed during years in the movement go some way to explain why the Brotherhood is seen as political force to be reckoned with.

Preparations for the parliamentary election are set to start on September 18, while the presidential vote is due by year-end.

Secular liberal groups, wary of the Brotherhood's support base, have called for the parliamentary vote to be delayed so they have more time to raise their profile.