In pics: Hundreds of North Sinai residents vote

CAIRO – 26 March 2018: Hundreds of North Sinai residents waited in long lines at Sheikh Zuwaid’s polling stations on Monday, chanting “Tahya Misr” (Long Live Egypt) and waving Egyptian flags.

Recording a high turnout on the first day of the presidential election, polling stations in Sheikh Zuwaid, especially the Kawthar district, were full of voters, who affirmed that casting their votes is part a national duty.

“We have suffered terrorism for years,” one of the elderly residents told Egypt Today, adding, “We are the ones who have experienced the severe war against terrorism. Sisi’s effort to beat terrorism should lead us to take such a step (voting) confidently.”

“Honestly, I did not expect that high turnout,” a youth said. He added that Sinai’s people show every day that they are capable of combating terrorism and facing difficult challenges.


A number of North Sinai residents gather at a polling station in Sheikh Zuwaid/Egypt Today

A Sinai woman said that she traveled a long distance from her house to the polling station, as she is one of the “tough” Sinai people who have to “fulfill the national duty.” She added that dozens of her family were victims of terrorist attacks.

“We have gathered to stand by the state and save Egypt from terrorism,” She said, adding, “Casting our votes in the election is the least that we can do.”

More than 250,600 North Sinai residents have the right to vote at the city’s 61 polling stations, while Egyptian electorate that consists, roughly, of 59.78 million citizens can cast their votes at more than 13,700 polling stations.

The presidential election kicked off across Egypt on Monday, and will run for three days. It is a race that pits the incumbent president Abdel Fatah Al Sisi against head of al-Ghad Party, Moussa Moustafa Moussa.