After successfully ousting President Hosni Mubarak, young Egyptians have become the focus of domestic media attention. Since last Friday, the views of hundreds of young people from all walks of life have been given unprecedented coverage on television and radio and in newspapers. But will they prove to be a real political force? Up to now, the only four proposed successors to Mr Mubarak are all well over 60 years old.

They don’t want to be called heroes, the young men and women who spent upwards of 12 days in Tahrir Square and ended 30 years of Mubarak rule. Nevertheless, their hopes, worries and dreams are in all the media these days. Even the demoralised police force has jumped onto the youth bandwagon. Two officers in their mid-20s shocked thousands of Egyptians in a popular TV show: they bitterly described their experience of facing the last three weeks’ demonstrations and exposed police corruption and heavy handed practices.

No clear agenda
Egyptian youth, triumphant and highly motivated, could be a powerful voting bloc in general elections, expected six months from now. Young people were unified behind the goal of ousting Mr Mubarak. But now that has been achieved, they lack a clear political agenda. They belong to many small groups, divided along the political and ideological spectrum from right to left, Islamist and secular, liberal and conservative.

Winning a parliamentary election requires disciplined nationwide organisation and campaigns, large financial resources and local and family networks throughout the country. That is all far beyond the resources of youth groups. The online social media tools that were enough to mobilise young people during the protests will not be effective in a general election.

Expertise
Another factor which favours the old elite is the high value Egyptians place on mature and tested expertise which is always associated with age. It is ironic that the four proposed successors of Mr Mubarak - overthrown by the youth revolution - namely Omar Suleiman, Mohammed El-Baradei, Amr Moussa and Ahmed Zewail are all well over 60 years old.

But many Egyptians believe that none of them stand much of a chance of being elected as president. They were feted during the early days of the protests, but have lost momentum since.

No big bang
Yet change in the end is inevitable. The new Egypt will be shaped to a great extent by the lines drawn during the 25 January revolution, as Egyptians are now calling it. But it will be gradual change from within, nothing like the big bang brought about by the young men and women of Tahrir Square.

(mw/js)

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