Egyptians vote in second day of election

Egyptians headed to the polls on Tuesday (March 27th) for the second day of a presidential election that runs incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi against rival Moussa Mostafa Moussa.

Authorities have been urging Egyptians to participate in the three-day vote, hoping for a high turnout.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) said voting has been running smoothly across the country, despite short delays in opening a limited number of polling stations.

NEC chairman Lasheen Ibrahim said judges supervising the polling stations confirmed all ballot boxes and ballots have been fully secured in the first two days of voting.

Meanwhile, NEC vice-chairman Mahmoud al-Sharif urged Egyptians to take part in the election.

"Participation in the presidential election is the core of democracy, while voter apathy will only benefit those who do not wish good for this country," he said.

Some 18,000 judges are overseeing the three-day poll, assisted by 110,000 employees at about 13,000 polling stations in 27 governorates.

Fifty-nine million Egyptians are registered and eligible to vote.

High turnout among women, seniors

"There is continuous monitoring by the executive and legislative authorities of the electoral process to ensure the poll proceeds transparently, fairly and securely," said Maj. Gen. Kamal Amer, head of the parliamentary defence and security committee.

So far, there has been noticeable success in securing all polling stations and the electoral process in general, he said.

"This will create a suitable atmosphere for citizens to cast their votes securely and will prevent any obstacle that may impede the process."

Amer said there is a major effort to facilitate voting for all citizens, including people with special needs and senior citizens.

Several governorates, including Cairo and Giza, have seen a high turnout among senior citizens and women on the first and second days of voting.

The NEC said that initial indications showed high voter turnout on the first day of election, with the highest participation registered in Cairo, Alexandria, Giza, Qaliubiya, Assiut and Aswan, Ahram Online reported Tuesday.

Voting in north Sinai, where Egypt's security forces have been taking part in the counter-terrorism campaign Operation Sinai 2018, also saw a high turnout, indicating that the security situation did not affect the process, according to the NEC.

The elections will conclude on Wednesday, and the official results will be announced on April 2nd.