These are heady days in Egypt as the country experiences its first multicandidate presidential election. That Egyptians will soon elect their president from among several candidates — instead of saying “yes” or “no” to only one person as has been standard practice in the past — is novel to say the least. There are 10 candidates, including the incumbent President Hosni Mubarak. The Wafd Party’s Noaman Gomaa and the Ghad Party’s Ayman Nour are Mubarak’s most serious challengers and all of them are taking their opponents and the election seriously.

Egypt has a long history of democracy; its first Parliament was in 1866. At the same time, the country has never seen anything quite like this. Billboards boasting the merits and talents of various candidates are everywhere. Newspapers and TV are filled with campaign ads, talk shows, the candidates’ public rallies and their pledges. All are anxious to project images of leading Egypt into a brave, new world. The media is making an attempt to be fair in its coverage, profiling all the candidates albeit granting time and space in varying amounts. Press and TV coverage have sometimes paid too much attention to the candidates’ looks — ties or lack thereof, haircuts and dye jobs and even spouses — and too little to their platforms. Some papers have drawn parallels with the Orange Revolution of the Ukraine and the surprise election victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran. The entire process might look tame by the standards of nations which have been in the business for a long time but it is certainly a rarity in this part of the world.

Perhaps the best thing the campaign provides the Egyptian people is the unprecedented chance to re-engage in politics. Ninety-three percent of Egyptian young people do not belong to a political party and, as recent studies have shown, 90 percent are completely uninterested in politics. Now the base of political participation has expanded. The Muslim Brotherhood, for one, is sure to vote even though it has declined to support any of the candidates. There was speculation that the Brotherhood which is the most significant opposition group in Egypt would boycott the polls and urge everybody to follow their example. But the group has unanimously agreed that voting is a responsibility and is now calling on its members and supporters to take part in choosing their next leader. The elections are of course not perfect. The candidates were given altogether 19 days to get their messages across. There will be no face-to-face debates. Most agree, however, that the mere fact that a multicandidate election is taking place at all is an achievement. The wheels of change are in motion — and where they will come to rest is being eagerly discussed. The elections are also being watched closely by outsiders. As the Arab country with the largest population, Egypt’s stability in an unstable region is of crucial importance. One week from today the campaign will end — 48 hours before election day on Sept. 7 according to the rules — and a new page in Egypt’s political life will have been written.