Samar Fatany, a Saudi woman visiting America to witness this election as part of a State Department program to prepare Middle Eastern women to run for office in their home countries, writes home from the US:
In the Arab world, limited elections … hardly give one a taste of the incredible power of democracy as it is practiced in the United States.
The election day will find American men and women all across this sprawling nation exercising their votes in many political races, from deciding upon who shall hold city offices to who their state legislators shall be; who their senators, congressmen and women shall be as well as which presidential candidate will lead the free world for the next four years. Additionally, across the nation, many will express their wishes at the polling places on a variety of issues and referenda relating to laws and taxation. All these issues will be decided by an informed public representing a vast diversity of races, religions and political leanings.
Many of us back in the Middle East watch American news broadcasts with a certain fascination, but to meet the voters, the candidates and the campaign volunteers is marvelous by comparison.
I’ve never confused Barack Obama with Keanu Reeves’ Neo, but our election tonight was certainly exciting.
