Egypt’s Haya Karima says Presidential Election’s 1st day witness huge turnout

CAIRO – 10 December 2024:  Egypt’s Haya Karima Foundation said that its representatives monitored a ‘very discipline and organized’ election process during the first hours of the Presidential elections’ first day.

“We are seeing huge turnout at the polling stations during the first day of the presidential elections.” Haya Karima stated in its statement.

It was added that the ‘overcrowding problem in number of polling stations was solved through the intervention of volunteers in organizing the electoral process in the stations.

The executive director of the National Election Authority (NEA) and Head of the Central Operations Room to follow up on Egyptians’ voting, Ahmed Bendari said on Sunday that the Operations Room monitored the intensity of citizens’ turnout at polling stations in the presidential elections since the first hour of voting.

Bendari explained during a press conference that the operation room conducted audio and video calls with the heads of the polling stations in the various governorates. They [judges] confirmed the regularity of the voting process in the general and sub-stations in their work flow of receiving voters to cast their ballots.

He added that the committees for expatriates are witnessing the largest turnout in the various governorates of the country since the first moment voting opened in the presidential elections. There are also stations for women that are witnessing high turnouts.

The 2024 presidential election is the fifth multi-party presidential elections that the country has witnessed in its modern history. The 2024 elections gain their importance from being a major step in the country’s path towards democratic transformation, party pluralism and political competitiveness, which came after a year and a half of serious and unprecedented national dialogue, which included all components Egyptian political, union and civil society.

At 9 AM sharp, President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, president since 2014, voted in the elections. First Lady Entissar Amer has also cast her ballot in the same polling station in Heliopolis, Cairo.

Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Qabbaj, Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas Helmi, and Mokhtar Abdel Latif, Chairman of the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) cast their ballots.

Youth and elderly voters have flocked to the polling stations across Egypt to exercise their constitutional right in casting their votes.

The 2024 Presidential Elections for citizens inside the country is taking place a few days after the three-day voting process for Egyptians abroad was concluded early in December.

The marathon is held between four contenders, including incumbent President Sisi, President of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party Farid Zahran, President of Al Wafd Party Abdel-Sanad Yamama, and President of the Republican People's Party Hazem Omar.

The four candidates have released their vision to improve people’s lives in the coming six-year presidential term.

The final result will be announced on December 18 if no run-off is required. Voting inside the country will take place from 10-12 December.