From the beginning of the Egyptian revolution, the powers that be have launched a vicious counter-revolution to contain our struggle by drowning the people's voices in a process of meaningless, piecemeal political reforms. This process has been aimed at deflecting the path of revolution and the Egyptian people's demands for "bread, freedom and social justice." Since Mubarak was forced out of power only 18 days into our revolution, the discourse of the political classes and the elites (including both state and private media), continues to privilege discussions of rotating ministers, cabinet reshuffles, referendums, committees, constitutions and most glaringly, parliamentary and now presidential elections.

From the very beginning, our choice was to reject in its entirety the regime's attempts to drag the people's revolution into a farcical dialogue, with the counter-revolution shrouded in the discourse of a "democratic process" that neither promotes the demands of the revolution nor represents any substantial, real democracy. Thus our revolution continues, and must continue.

Egyptians now find themselves at a vulnerable moment. Official political discourse would have the world believe that they only have a choice between "two evils": Ahmed Shafiq, who guarantees the consolidation of the outgoing regime and its return with a vengeance, promising an assault on the revolution under the fascist spectres of "security" and "stability", and the false promise of protection for religious minorities; and Mohamed Morsi, the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood who we are expected to imagine might "save" us from the old regime through the myths of cultural renaissance – all while consolidating its financial stronghold and regional capitalist hegemony.

According to election officials, most voters have chosen neither Shafiq nor Morsi in the first round of elections. We refuse to recognise the choice of the "lesser of two evils" when these evils masquerade in equal measure for the same regime. We believe there is another choice. And in times where perceived common sense is as far from the truth as can be, we find the need to speak out once again. We see the presidential elections as an attempt by the military junta and its counter-revolutionary forces to garner international legitimacy, in order to cement the existing regime and deliver more lethal blows to the Egyptian revolution. We ask you to join us and resist this process.

Our struggle does not exist in isolation from yours. What is revolution, but the immediate and uncompromising rejection of the status quo; of militarised power, exploitation, class stratification, and relentless police violence? These structural realities are not unique to Egypt or the Egyptian revolution. Across the world, communities resist what we are meant to accept without questioning. We stand in solidarity with the masses of precarious and endangered people who have chosen to defend themselves from an aggressive global system that is in crisis; indeed, a sputtering system that, in its twilight hours, reaches for unprecedented levels of surveillance, militarisation and violence to quell our insurrections.

How can we tolerate a military dictatorship's supervision of any political process when thousands of Egyptians continue to languish in the dungeons of military prison after undergoing arbitrary arrest, campaigns of systematic torture, and exceptional military tribunals? No "free and fair elections" can take place under the supervision of a power-hungry military junta, vying relentlessly for continued political domination and the protection of their vast economic empire – so relentlessly, indeed, that no constitution exists to define the powers of any presidency.

If these elections take place and are internationally recognised, the regime will have received the world's stamp of approval to make void everything the revolution stands for. If these elections are to pass while we remain silent, we believe the incoming regime will licence itself to hunt us down, lock us up and torture us in an attempt to quell all forms of resistance.

We continue on our revolutionary path, committed to resisting military rule and putting an end to military tribunals for civilians and the release of all detainees in military prisons. We continue to struggle in the workplace, in schools and universities and with popular committees in our neighbourhoods. We call on you to join us in our struggle against the reinforcements of the counter-revolution. How will you stand in solidarity with us? If we are under attack, you are also under attack – for our battle is a global one against the forces that seek our obedience and suppression.

We stand with the ongoing revolution, a revolution that will only be realised by the strength, community and persistence of the people; not through a poisonous referendum for military rule.

An earlier version of the piece was published at MR Zine on 1 June

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