28 November 2010 Last updated at 10:49 ET

Egypt elections: young voices

A young Egyptian man casts his vote in the parliamentary elections, opposite run-down buildings in the Shubra neighbourhood of Cairo.

Young Egyptians often complain of high unemployment, rising inflation and a shortage of affordable housing. As Egypt's parliamentary elections take place, voters in their 20s and 30s give their views on the poll's significance.

Ahmed Sharif, 25, TV producer

Ahmed Sharif backs the ruling NDP but wants to see the best possible MPs elected.

I am a supporter of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) because it has a clear political manifesto based on scientific studies rather than words and slogans.

I have examined many alternatives and I could not find the clarity I was looking for, therefore, I will be sticking to the NDP.

As a young Egyptian, I have particular interest in some of the issues raised by the NDP such as the new health insurance law, which they promised would be submitted to parliament immediately after the elections.

Other areas I'm interested in are employment and education.

I think it's important that everyone should take part whether they are a supporter of the NDP or not, so that elected members of parliament have a clear mandate to represent their people.

I hope the elections produce the fittest and most suitable politicians.

Iman Awad, 20, law student

Iman Awad says university students like herself are turned off by politics.

How can I vote for the candidates in my electoral district when there are only two and I do not see their faces except at election time?

I feel that if I give my vote to any of them I will have contributed to a parliament which will add to the injustices faced by Egyptians. For these reasons, I won't take part in the elections.

I know there are opposition groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wafd participating but I believe they will get only get a small number of seats. They are there for purely decorative purposes, to show the world that Egypt allows opposition in parliament.

As a university student, I can say that students are generally not interested in politics and elections. What hope of change is there if the ruling party has been monopolising the state for the last 30 years? Many families also prefer that their children stay away from political activism, fearing for their future.

Fatima Mohammed Said, 35, social worker

Fatima Mohammad Said believes in political participation and plans to vote for an opposition candidate.

Politics is intertwined with everything in our lives. In order to get a better standard of living and better services, there must be political change and this can only come as a result of political participation.

Change depends entirely on the integrity of elections. However this is very difficult to achieve as the current ruling party has been in power for a very long period and we have not seen fair elections in this time.

For Egyptians and Arabs in general, our ability to choose the fate of our lives has been non-existent since childhood.

I am voting for a candidate who does not belong to the NDP.

When you hear the speeches and the agenda presented by the NDP it sounds great, but in reality nothing is ever achieved and this is the case with most of the parties taking part in the election.

Ahmed Morsi, 25, employee in a cultural organisation

Ahmed Morsi thinks many voters are disillusioned and disinterested.

I think it is really important to give the opportunity to all Egyptians at home and abroad to actively participate in these elections without any constraints.

I hope for fully free and fair elections with a clear and credible process.

Lack of confidence in the elections by the people may lead to a decline in the proportion of participants. Only 15 to 20% of people who are eligible to vote, practice their democratic right.

There are several reasons for this, including the fact that Egyptian citizens do not feel they share the decision-making process with the government. For example, they don't understand why prices have recently gone up.

There are many other problems such as corruption in the administrative and executive bodies.

Now we have a young generation that is not interested in politics. This generation grew up under one-party rule that lasted for 35 years, since the 70s to this moment.