Behind the Scenes

IBA Staff share their perspectives on meeting — or not meeting — the presidential candidates. It took a lot of hustling to get last month’s special Presidential election issue on the stands. Long before the Supreme Presidential Elections Committee issued, cut down and reissued the official list of candidates, and even before some candidates had decided they would be candidates, our writers and editors tried to score interviews. No matter what a campaign manager tells you, you’re never quite sure when, where or if the appointment is going to happen, much less how it will go once you’re in the room with the candidate himself. As part of our web exclusive content, the our writers blogged about their experiences covering the campaign trail. The following views are reprinted from www.businesstodayegypt.com My Very Own Father Figure How my one-hour interview with Ahmed Shafik turned into a three-hour visit El-Awa Calling A bad telephone line, a frantic campaign tour in Upper Egypt and a rushed interview The Utopian Candidate One of the most down-to-earth candidates, Khaled Ali is one contender with a vision and a dream Man of the People I walked in expecting an intimidating, agitated political shark. I couldn’t have been more wrong. 12 Minutes with Abolfotoh Our interview with Abolfotoh showed us a different — and unexpected — side of the outwardly calm, liberal and tolerant candidate