Election turnout for the parliamentary election in Alexandria was large from the early hours of the morning, with noticeably more women than men queuing-up before polling stations.
Voters said they were happy to vote for the first time in what they perceived as fair elections, unlike previous ones that were rigged in favor of the disbanded National Democratic Party.
The 1754 polling stations in the city were secured by the army, the navy and the police.
Some voters filed complaints with the high elections committee against the supporters of the Salafi Nour Party, who were trying to persuade voters into voting for their candidates.
Police are investigating a rumor about a candidate having been shot during the elections.
The church urged citizens to vote. “The elections are well organized,” said Kamil Siddiq, secretary of the Coptic Confessional Council, praising the army for the role it is playing. “We want people to vote for their candidates, irrespective of their religions.”
In the Moharam Beik polling station, supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party used megaphones to promote their candidates, an act which prompted security services to disperse them.
“Things are going smoothly,” said Mahmoud al-Khodeiry, a candidate supported by the Muslim Brotherhood. “It looks like we’ll have transparent results.”
Translated from the Arabic Edition
