After the Fall of Mubarak, Will Egypt Elect its First Female President?

We might soon see just how reform the reformers of the Egyptian Spring really are by how they react, and perhaps vote, when presented with a female candidate on their upcoming presidential ballot.

That's right. Bothaina Kamel, a celebrity broadcaster turned political activist, is allegedly throwing her hat in the ring to become president of the Arab world's most populous country. If she solidifies her candidacy, Kamel would be the first woman in the country's modern history to run for its highest office. It will also be Egypt's first democratic election ever.

But Kamel alleges it is not only women her success would empower, but also Egypt's other disenfranchised communities -- from Coptic Christians to Nubians and Bedouins.

"By putting myself forward I am making this democratic right – the right of a woman to be president – a concrete reality, and that alters expectations," Kamel says of her presidential aspirations.

Since revealing her intentions, officials have reportedly launched a massive smear-campaign against Kamel, from alleging that she was buying desert land to carry out illegal excavations for valuable antiquities to claims that she bribes her supporters.

The Guardian goes on to address some of the challenges the bombastic Kamel likely faces, especially with a motto of "victor or martyr":

Since she announced back in April her intention to compete in Egypt's first ever democratic presidential elections, her efforts to recalibrate the balance between state and society have come under sustained attack from many directions, not least the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) whom Kamel accuses of being an enemy of the revolution.

"At Abbasiya [an anti-SCAF demonstration in Cairo last month which came under attack by armed civilians] they almost killed me – people told me afterwards that some of the baltagiyya [paid thugs] were asking for me by name," she claims.

"The army stood by and watched it happen, and then later that night [Egypt's de facto interim leader] Field Marshal Tantawi appeared on national television thanking the 'brave people' of Abbasiya who stopped the outlaws. We are not outlaws, we are revolutionaries! They are the outlaws and thugs, they are Mubarak's regime, and they are as low and dirty as ever."

That kind of language is bold, even among reformist activists who have turned against the military in recent weeks and opened up a volatile legitimacy gap at the heart of Egypt's post-Mubarak transition. But Kamel's bombastic tone – "victor or martyr" is how she views herself when stepping out each day on to the streets – dovetails with her personal engagement with potential voters and an attention to specifics, from suspected abuses by intelligence agents in the north Cairo neighbourhood of Shubra to obscure links between particular security generals and high-flying businessmen. She may have barely 1,000 supporters on her Facebook site (presidential rival Mohamed ElBaradei boasts a quarter of a million), but there is something about Kamel that seems to spook Egypt's powers-that-be – and it involves a lot more than her gender.

But still, some believe Kamel's high-profile public persona combined with her reportedly staunch activism giver her a unique advantage over some other candidates.

And The Guardian explains that during a recent trip to Suez -- the site of violent clashes between civilians and police -- Kamel has earned fans. "I just came and listened and tried to help, and by the end of it people were chanting, 'Long live the woman!' It doesn't matter to Egyptians whether someone is a woman or a man, what's important is whether it's someone who can understand and help them. The revolution has made Egyptians feel free, and that's why I'm running for president," Kamel said.

But given her bold proclamations against the Egyptian establishment, Kamel could be taking her very life in her hands. And history reminds us that even women who do manage to attain high-ranking positions in Islamic countries, like Benazir Bhutto, will forever have to look over their shoulders.