Growing Pains, Egypt

by: Blaine Skrainka

As the regime of Hosni Mubarak fell, the world witnessed the birth of a democracy. Today, the compelling images streaming in from Tahrir Square have mostly come to an end, but the struggles continue. Early this summer, the reborn nation will host its first presidential elections in 5,000 years. The candidates face a dismal economy, and an electorate in which 40 percent live in poverty and 30 percent are illiterate. The frontrunner in the election is a former minister in the Mubarak government; his main rival is an ex-member of the Muslim Brotherhood. The once banned Islamist political party now holds 40 percent of the seats in parliament.

Photographs by Alex Majoli