Women: Egypt’s trump card in election

CAIRO – 27 March 2018: The participation of women in Egypt’s 2018 presidential election has been recorded as higher than any other faction in society, as was seen in front of polling stations on Monday, March 26.

It was not just media outlets that noticed the high turnout of women in the election, as most of the international NGO delegations shared the same thought in their initial statements regarding the election process.

NGO delegations noted that the role of women cannot be ignored. An American NGO delegation that arrived in Cairo to monitor the elections visited a number of polling stations in several governorates, including Cairo, Giza, Menoufia and Fayoum, and affirmed in statements to Egypt Today that the rate of women’s participation was the highest in all the polling stations they visited since the beginning of the election.


A woman casts her ballot during the first day of the presidential election at a polling station in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, March 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The delegation members praised the role of women and said that Egyptians’ celebrations were noticeably enthusiastic.

National Council for Women (NCW) President Maya Morsi said in statements on Monday that the high rate of female participation in the election was expected. “Women have proved more than once their abilities and that they are up to trust and responsibility,” she said.


Egyptians cast their votes at a polling station during the presidential election in Cairo, Egypt, March 26, 2018.Reuters

Women have been Egypt’s trump card in elections, having always recorded the highest turnout number among all of the country’s factions. Media outlets released several photos of women standing in lines waiting to cast their ballots. Other pictures and videos showed them dancing in front of the polling stations, raising Egypt’s flag along with pictures of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.



In the 2012 presidential election, Egypt experience its highest participation rate, not just among women, but all factions of society. According to official statistics announced by the government, women’s voting rate in the 2012 election reached 50 percent.

As for the 2014 presidential election, which followed the toppling of the Muslim Brotherhood and former President Mohamed Morsi, women’s participation rate reached 70 percent.


An army officer checks voters bags as they prepare to enter a polling station during the first day of the presidential election in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, March 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

These statistics show a noticeable rise in the political role of women compared with their participation rates during the elections held during the era of former President Hosni Mubarak. 30 percent was the recorded participation rate of women during the 2005 election. The top competitors during that presidential election were Mubarak and prominent political opposition figure Ayman Nour of the al-Ghad Party. Mubarak won the election at the time with 88 percent.

Women’s political role, including their noticeable voting participation rate, started to appear following the election of President Sisi. In several speeches, Sisi expressed his gratitude for women’s role in the society.


Egyptian women and children wave national flags as they wait in line to vote during the first day of the presidential election in front of a polling station in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, March 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Sisi announced 2017 as the “Year of Women,” as part of his continued interest with empowering women. During his interview with famous director Sandra Nashaat on March 20, Sisi said that his personal gratitude and interest towards women comes as a result of his personal experience. “This is my own experience; I don’t know about everybody else,” Sisi said.

Sisi has appeared as a president who supports women’s rights since he rose to power in 2014. On the day after his inauguration, he visited a victim of brutal sexual harassment at Tahrir Square. The current representation of women in Parliament and the Cabinet is the highest in Egypt’s history.


Magdah Ahmed, 78, displays her inked finger after she casts her vote at a polling station during the first day of the presidential election at a polling station in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, March 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The role of women in Sisi’s life has been “rich,” he said, adding that his mother had a positive influence on his mindset.

About 60 million Egyptians are expected to cast their ballots from March 26 to 28 to elect the country’s next president, in a race pitting incumbent President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi against Ghad Party Chairman Moussa Moustafa Moussa.

The 2018 presidential election is the third to take place in Egypt since the January 2011 revolution. Egyptian expatriates have already voted from March 16-18 in 124 countries.


Voters sing national songs as they prepare to enter a polling station during the first day of the presidential election in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, March 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)