Elderly woman keen on participating in the first day of the 2018 presidential election - Egypt Today
CAIRO - 27 March 2018: Egyptians headed to the polls on Tuesday for the second day of the presidential election to cast their vote for their preferred candidate.
Although no official reports were released regarding the size of turnout on the first day, Monday, women and elderly participation were remarkable in different governorates.
Signs of joy were clear in highly crowded polling stations, where many voters sang national songs and danced outside schools, where the vote is being held.
The two candidates cast their vote on Monday, while the National Election Authority (NEA) ready for a higher voter participation on the second and third day of the election. The NEA has called on all Egyptians to participation in the vote.
Some governorates, like Alexandria, Cairo and Giza, witnessed high turnout, according to governors and officials. North Sinai's Arish and Beir el-Abd cities recorded the highest turnout among Egyptian cities, comparing the number of participants to the number of registered voters, according to Ali Haridy, head of the Cabinet operation room designated to following up the election.
The 2018 presidential election is the third poll to take place in Egypt since the January 2011 revolution.
Here is the live update on the electoral process:
6:50 p.m.
Police and military help the elderly in a very accessible elections
The police and military have been seen helping the elderly in various polling stations across Egypt so they can cast their votes on Monday and Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Commander of the Central Military Region Major General Ayman Abdel Hamid Amer inspected security procedures at several polling stations in Heliopolis on Tuesday, including Tabary Secondary School. Locals celebrated his visit by waving the Egyptians flags.
4:56 p.m.
Defense Minister checks on voting process in Tanta polls
Minister of Defense Sedky Sobhy while touring a number of polling stations in Tanta - TV Screenshot
Minister of Defense Sedky Sobhy visited Tuesday a number of polling stations in Tanta city, north of Egypt to check on the voting process on the second voting day.
According to the law, active members of the Armed Forces and police are not allowed to vote.
Not all election boycotters of a political character: ET interviews
A number of individuals who decided not to vote expressed different reasons, and surprisingly, not all are of a political character.
Mostafa Khaled, an engineer, told Egypt Today that the polling station he should vote in is very far from his house, because his national ID carries a different address than his current one. He also mentioned that he should stay at home to look after his younger siblings.
Demyana Magdy, who was born in Luxor but resides in Cairo, said that she does not know whether she is allowed to vote in a polling station in Cairo. “If I can, I will go and cast my vote,” she stated.
Sayed, Abdel Samee and Mohamed, despite being of different ages, said that they are too busy and that they may not be able to vote because they have to work.
Marwa Al-Bendary said that she is not concerned with the political process, adding that her work as a project manager does not even allow her enough time to sleep.
However, some voters hold political reasons behind their decision not to vote. Some of them said that Moussa is not a strong challenger to Sisi, so they decided not to vote, although some of them said they are Sisi supporters.
CAIRO - 27 March 2018: Once the presidential election between incumbent President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Ghad Party Chairman Moussa Moustafa Moussa started on Monday, high turnout was reported in the 13,706 polling stations nationwide. However, it has also been widely recognized that a considerable number of the electorate has been absent.
3:45 p.m.
Asyut polling stations see high turnout
Polling stations in Dayrout city in Upper Egypt’s governorate of Asyut witnessed high voter turnout on Tuesday, the second day of presidential poll, said Egypt Support Coalition in a statement.
The turnout of women voters, as well as the elderly, has been noticeable since the presidential election kicked off on Monday. The
A total of 563,259 is the number of eligible voters in Asyut, who have 599 sub-polling stations.
Voters line up outside Dayrut polling station in Asyut governorate - Egypt Today
Voters line up outside Dayrut polling station in Asyut governorate - Egypt Today
3:45 p.m.
NEA says no intentions to extend voting period, warns of punishment for early results’ publishing
NEA Spokesperson Mahmoud el-Sherif during a press conference on presidential election updates on Tuesday - TV Screenshot
The National Election Authority (NEA) has not taken any decision to extend the voting period of the three-day presidential election, which is set to end on Wednesday, according to NEA Spokesperson Mahmoud el-Sherif during a press conference on Tuesday.
El-Sherif stressed that official election results will only be announced by the authority; he warned media outlets against publishing results earlier than the NEA.
2:15 p.m.
Governors’ promises, discount offers among bids to fight voter apathy
Several organizational and individual incentives were announced to encourage people to participate in the presidential poll.
Around four million Egyptian nationals who ride the three lines of metro station, in transporting from place to place daily, will enjoy listening to national songs, metro spokesperson Ahmed Abdelhady told Egypt Today.
Member of Parliament Khaled Abbas provided private buses in Giza Square to transport nationals free of charge to polling stations.
Beheira governor, Nadia Abdo promised, on a Monday phone call with “90 Minutes” TV program, to improve the sanitation system and solve water’s problems in villages that see high turnout rates.
Dream Park, a famous amusement park in October, on the outskirts of Cairo, offered a 50-percent discount during the three-day election for anyone who shows inked fingers, indicating that they have voted.
Famous Egyptian figures and university heads launched election marches to urge Egyptians to cast their votes. Head of Fayoum University, Professor Khaled Hamza accompanied university students to the polling stations to cast their votes.
1:39 p.m.
Supervising Judges’ one-hour break cancelled during poll
The National Election Authority (NEA) spokesperson Helmy al-Sherif announced on Tuesday that the one-hour break that was allocated for supervising judges’ during the voting process was cancelled to ensure more ease for voters.
On Monday, the first voting day, the voting process went into recess from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (CLT).
No official reports were announced thus far on the size of voting turnout.
12:00 p.m.
Just-married couples make it to polls on their "big day"
Wedding couples making it to the polling stations on their big day was pretty much one of the downright extraordinary highlights occurred during the first day of the presidential vote.
Married couple pose for the camera As they cast their votes in polling station in Sohag - Egypt Today
Governor of Sohag Ayman Abdel Moneim sent a cable of congratulations to a newly wed couple who was keen to step into their allocated polling station to cast their votes before tehir big night. Abdel Moneim stated that the couple knew well that the election “is deterrent to terrorism and any hostile attempts hatched against the state.”
The bride Entissar and her husband Mohamed insisted on entering the polling station and voting despite it being 9 p.m., as they wanted their big day “to be even more special.”
11:30 a.m.
First death case announced during presidential poll
A 64-year-old woman, Kanoa Soliman Mabrouk, passed away on Tuesday after she suffered from a circulatory collapse after casting her vote in her assigned polling station in Helwan district, Southern Cairo, said the Ministry of Health in a statement.
She was transferred to Helwan hospital near her polling station, where she was declared dead. The ministry's statement added that there was a total of 104 medical cases that were sent to hospitals to receive required treatment during the voting process that kicked off Monday.
Mabrouk death is the first death case announced during the election.
11:00 a.m.
Women, elderly ‘trump card’ in Egypt’s poll, show remarkable turnout on 2nd day
For the second day of the Egyptian presidential election, elderly and women voters came to the fore by queuing up to cast their ballots in high numbers.
Many elderly people and women were seen outside Helwan’s polling stations in Southern Cairo, raising Egypt’s flag and celebrating their vote.
Signs of joy prevailed at polling stations as queues of voters lined up, waiting for the doors to open on Tuesday. National songs were played everywhere, and voters reacted happily and danced.
Women stand, early on the second day of voting, in front of Helwan’s polling station waiting to cast their votes – Egypt Today/Azoz Eldeeb
Elderly men sitting on a wheelchair heading to his polling station in El-Wadi El-Gedid -
The Human Rights Department at the Interior Ministry deployed security forces to help the elderly during the voting process. Member of Parliament Mohamed Abdallah Zein allocated buses to transport elderly voters to their polling stations in Delta’s Beheira governorate.
Having always recorded the highest turnout number among all of the country’s factions, women have continuously been Egypt’s trump card in elections
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.
10:30 a.m.
Cabinet follows up on voting process, says voting process proceeding normally on 2nd day
The Cabinet's central operations room released a follow up on the updates of the election process on the second day, saying that it is contacting governors via video conference to receive any complaints or problems facing voters.
On Monday, the room said it solved all problems received; most problems were connected to delays in polling stations opening due to emergency medical cases of the judges assigned to monitor the process.
10:00 a.m.
Celebrities, media professionals stress voting is “national duty"
Amr Adib - File Photo
State officials, actors and media practitioners called on all Egyptians to participate in the presidential election that enters its second day on Tuesday, deeming the practice a “national duty.”
Their rhetoric was meant to demean boycott calls that would affect the voters’ turnout. Weeks ahead of the voting process, advertisements and songs urging people to vote, mostly for President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, flooded the television.
“Even if any person disagrees with the current regime or the country’s situation, he should overcome that and participate in the election for the sake of the country’s interest,” said TV host Amr Adib during his program on 'ON E' on Monday.
In the same context, TV Host Lamees El Hadidy said that Egyptians should cast their voices “for the interests of Egypt while fighting terrorism.”
Meanwhile, Egyptian actors such as Samira Ahmed and Mohamed Henedi cast their voices on Monday, saying that they are happy to participate in the election as they consider it a national duty for all Egyptians.
Famous Egyptian singer Hakim launched an election march in 6th October city streets to urge Egyptians to cast their votes.
9:30 a.m.
Egyptians in election: voters, boycotters and abstainers
As the second day of election kicked off Tuesday, Egyptians heading to the polls were classified into three different categories: cheering voters, boycotters and abstainers.
A hashtag calling people not to vote emerged on social media on Sunday, attracting tweets lecturing people on why they should not participate in the election and calling for the boycotting of the election. Other opposing hashtags urged people to cast their vote, mostly for President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.
An Arabic hashtag that translates to “Do Not Go Out” attracted tweets criticizing the current difficult economic situation in Egypt and listing reasons why people should not cast their vote, like “high prices, low salaries and lack of social insurances.”
Others were reluctant due to thinking their votes would never make a difference in choosing the president, reiterating what many observers see as an inevitable sweeping win for Sisi.
رساله إلي كل سيساوي هل نزولك هايقدم او يأخر في فوز السيسي؟ هل صوتك هايحدد مين اللي هايفوز ؟ هل أنت شايف في منافسه؟ هل أنت عندك شك أن السيسي هايسقط؟ هل أنت عندك مخ اصلا ؟ #ماتنزلش#الزم_بيتك
Several politicians and human rights activists have called for boycotting the election, claiming that the election between incumbent President Sisi and al-Ghad Party Chairman Moussa Mostafa Moussa will not be fair.
Ahead of the election, authorities tightened security measures at polling stations and vital places across Egypt. Tweets encouraging people to vote referred to the recent attack that targeted the top security chief in Alexandria this week, which not affect their decision to participate in the election.
CAIRO - 27 March 2018: As the election kicked off Monday to select a president to rule the country for a four-year term, there are three different kinds of Egyptians: cheering voters, boycotters and abstainers. A hashtag calling people not to vote emerged on social media on Sunday, attracting tweets lecturing people why they should not participate in the election.
9:15 a.m.
Heightened security measures continue on 2nd day vote
Military soldiers securing polling stations on second voting day - Photo by Mahmoud Fakhry/Egypt Today
Bomb disposal experts were deployed at different polling stations across Egypt, as the country is set for the second of the presidential vote on Tuesday.
In accordance with the Ministry of Interior’s comprehensive elections security plan, explosives disposal experts are also responsible for combing areas surrounding the polling stations, along with state vital institutions, churches and main streets.
Prior to the presidential election, the Interior Ministry had announced a high security alert across the country in preparation for the election.
9:00 a.m.
Second voting day in Egypt's presidential election kicks off
Polling stations across Egypt opened their doors to voters for the second day of the presidential election. Egyptians are choosing between the incumbent President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and el-Ghad party chairperson Moussa Mostafa Moussa to rule the country for a four-year term.
Here is a live streaming of the second voting day
Additional reporting by: Nourhan Magdi, Jehad el-Sayed, Marina Gamil, Dunya Hassanin, Amr Kandil and Walaa Ali
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