Egyptians, in desperation, cling to whichever leader makes the loudest promises, swinging like a broken pendulum that gets stuck at opposing extremes. Hosni Mubarak’s reign was marked by inaction, so the Egyptians fled to Mohamed Morsi and his claims of peaceful theocracy for comfort. Now, in response to Morsi’s shortcomings, the Egyptian people are swinging again, this time toward General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. To better understand the devastation a country faces in times of transition, imagine Egypt’s reality.

Not long ago, the only criterion to becoming a successful presidential candidate was to not be associated with Mubarak. After the coup that overthrew Morsi, the conditions necessary for becoming a plausible candidate for president doubled. It’s not surprising, then, that the Egyptian people have sided with the military and, more recently, voted to approve the military-backed constitution. There are no other viable leadership alternatives, and the constitution is beneficial. The reformed law is a marker of forthcoming stability, one free of religious affiliation and blatant oppression.

This is not to say that the constitution is perfect — it grants too much power to the military — but most political leaders are declaring the new law a commendable step forward from the one that preceded it. The law includes clearer proclamations of equality for Christians and women and establishes that democratic elections are to be held on the local level within five years. That a staggering 98.1 percent of the population voted in favor of it is a sign that the Egyptian people have chosen a clear direction. The military, in spite of its apparent flaws, provides hope for stability. At this junction, that’s what Egypt most needs.

In one scene in Jehane Noujaim’s excellent documentary “The Square,” which poignantly captured the resiliency of the human spirit during the Egyptian revolution and the underlying tension inherent to all government upheavals, a youthful protester named Ahmed is shown sitting in the tent city that surfaced in Tahrir Square in the days following the toppling of Mubarak’s regime. Beside Ahmed, his fellow protester holds a yellow pepper to the camera and jokes, “Look how big the pepper is now that the age of Mubarak is over. During his rule, the peppers were tiny. Look how big they are now.”

Stability, which the military’s constitution is going to establish in Egypt, will help the nation’s leadership meet its citizens’ basic demands. Calls for sufficient nourishment, an organized educational system and personal liberties are calls for the fulfillment of rudimentary human needs — not appeals for democracy. The Egyptian people are requesting something simpler. Ahmed’s fellow protester, smiling as he finishes his pepper, concludes, “There is hope for the future.” The newly minted constitution substantiates his optimism.

A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, Jan. 29 print edition. Omar Etman is a deputy opinion editor. Email him at [email protected].