Egyptians Vote on Second Day of Presidential Elections

Tuesday marks the second day of voting in the Egyptian presidential elections where more 53 million eligible voters can cast their ballots in one of 14,000 stations across the republic to choose the country’s next president.

Contestants are former defense minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and liberal politician Hamdeen Sabbahi.

The Muslim Brotherhood has publicly vowed to disrupt the elections via peaceful means, while other anti-governments groups have vowed to carry out disturbances using violence.

Major General Wageeh Maamoun, head of Shalateen City, said high turnout was witnessed at polling stations in areas of Halayeb, Shalateen and abu Ramad, south of Red Sea. Buses and vehicles shuttled voters from villages to polling stations. Maamoun said vehicles will continue to transfer voters until end of balloting process.

Voting continued normally in Monufiya. Turnout was weak in the morning as temperature was high. Security troops distributed water bottles among voters.

Major General Wahid Tawfiq, commander of the military central command, inspected polling stations at the governorate. International observers inspected several polling stations and balloting process.

Police and military personnel were seen before the polling stations. Barriers were located outside the stations as police patrols were patrolling the street.

The electoral campaign of presidential hopeful Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Menofiya slammed the Nour Party for not rallying enough people, saying its participation was weak and inappropriate compared to its representation within the society.

In other news, the African Union visited a polling station in Abdeen district to follow up on the voting process. Calm prevailed at polling stations of low turnout.

Low turnout was seen in South Sinai governorate. Many voters from other parts of Egypt who work locally in the tourism field complained about the inability to vote locally.

Ahmed al-Ghobashy, head of tourism support coalition, blamed the low turnout on the inability of the tourism workers to vote locally.

Major General Adel Kassab, head of the governorate’s operations center, said all polling stations were opened on time adding that no complaints were received over violations

Kassab also disclosed increase in turnout from 24 to 26 percent. Number of voters who cast their ballots from opening until 11am reached 22,526.

Major General Ahmed Fawzy, the governorate’s secretary general, indicated a high turnout on the first day. He also added that buses transferred Bedouins to cast their ballots.

The numbers of voters has become smaller at polling stations of al-Sheikh Zayed and 6 October as the temperature increased. Some electricity generators arrived at polling stations to encounter power outage, especially as the counting process will start after 10pm. Vehicles loaded with drinking water were passing through streets of the city to deal with water outage.

Many international observers were seen in the second district of 6 October City. Crowds were seen at a polling station of the seventh district due to the late opening for thirty minutes. Helicopters also flew over the polling stations in the city in an attempt to monitor any disruptions in the polls.

In Cairo, no queues were seen outside polling units in Matariya and Amiriya, with few voters arriving to cast their ballots.

Anadolu Agency also reported a low turnout in Giza, Alexandria and Qalyubiua, but said turnout in Aswan was higher than Monday, especially at the city of Daraw.

The campaign of candidate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said seven polling stations opened later than scheduled at the Red Sea province.

Election officials at Alexandria, Port Said and Gharbiya put voter turnout at each govenorate at 20 percent, 30 percent and 32 percent respectively.

Al-Masry Al-Youm

R.S