Basim sent me this: "
It's nice to see The National take such a random, unbiased sampling of Egyptian popular opinion:
Yahia Abdelajawad Almutwaili, a 39-year-old Egyptian waiter in Abu Dhabi, said he believed the election would move Egypt forward. "I voted for Ahmed Shafiq four days ago at the embassy," he said. "We need someone to take Egypt forward to democracy and he is the one to do it."
Many Egyptians expressed a preference for Amr Moussa, the former foreign minister and former secretary general of the Arab League. "Initially, I expected Amr Moussa to win but it's not looking like that at all," said Andrew H, a 29-year-old Egyptian living in Dubai. "He's the most well-rounded person and he has experience outside Egypt so he can communicate with other countries," said Mr H. "He won't make silly decisions either."
That feeling was echoed by the Abu Dhabi resident Tamer Ahmad, 30. "Amr Moussa is the perfect candidate because he has previous knowledge of the country and I'm 80 per cent sure he will win," he said.
For Mohammed Elbatanouni, a 30-year-old Egyptian resident in Dubai, the pride of taking part in his country's presidential election was overwhelming. "I voted for Amr Moussa on Thursday and the whole organisation was very impressive."
"... Amr Moussa knows the country inside out," he said. "He knows how to deal with it internally and externally. He knows Egypt's economy and he's been in action for 20 to 30 years."
"And although Shafiq was appointed prime minister by Mubarak in the bad days, his work is positive and his plans are good."
He stood by his vote for Moussa, believing his plan for Egypt would be successful. "He's a guy that has a great plan for the country on how to take it forward. He's not greedy and he just wants to be in charge for one term, which is four years," said Mr Elbatanouni. "Whether it's education, health or the economy, he has the best plan for Egypt.""
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