Rep. Dreier back in Egypt to observe historic elections

By Julian Pecquet - 05/21/12 02:15 PM ET

Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) is in Egypt this week to meet with government and civil society representatives and serve as an official observer in the nation's historic presidential elections on Wednesday and Thursday.

These are the first genuinely democratic presidential elections in the nation's history, even if several favored candidates — the Muslim Brotherhood's Khairat el-Shater, former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and Salafist candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail — were barred from running. Moderate Islamist Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh and Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi currently lead the field of 13 candidates in the polls, with left-wing nationalist Hamdeen Sabahi in third place.

Dreier, the chairman of the House Rules Committee and the bipartisan House Democracy Partnership, previously led an international observer delegation in Egypt during the first round of elections for the People’s Assembly last November.

“While there is a great deal of uncertainty in Egypt at this time, what I saw as a witness of the parliamentary elections is that the Egyptian people want and deserve the opportunity to choose their leaders and return to democratic, civilian rule,” he said in a statement. “I am here in Cairo once again simply to witness what takes place and offer support for a fair, open and transparent process.”

Dreier is the sponsor of a bipartisan resolution calling for negotiations of an Egypt-U.S. free trade agreement. The proposal is a priority of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“Such a partnership would spur growth in both countries, providing the resources to support Egypt's democratic development while creating new opportunities for Americans as well,” Dreier said Monday. “Greater economic engagement will be key to ensuring a positive path forward for Egypt during this time of political transition.”