Protests continued Monday night over power cuts in governorates across Egypt as some residents filed police reports demanding action from President Mohamed Morsy.
After some Minya residents blocked the Upper Egypt agriculture road, officials responded that they would ensure the return of power in exchange for the protest ending.
Port Said Governor Ahmed Abu Abdallah said that he requested that the Electricity Ministry distribute power cuts among all areas of the governorate lasting for no more than one hour.
Abdel Rahman Salem, a Sohag resident, said that villages in the governorate survive using candles and lanterns, adding that people need electricity to be able to have meals during Ramadan.
Ben Suef citizens have refused to pay their electricity bills until things go back to normal. Blackouts had been lasting for six hours at night, but have now gone down to one hour.
In Qalyubiya, angry protesters blocked the ring road and the railroad, while others congregated outside the local Electricity Ministry headquarters.
Qalyubiya Governor Adel Ziad said that he asked the deputy electricity minister to cut electricity from the governorate’s streets instead of from houses. A contract has been signed to build a new power station using LE1.2 billion in investments, he added.
Alexandria residents also refused to pay their electricity bills. Ahmed Galal, a protester in the city, said that he filed a report with the Montazah police department against the president and the head of the electricity grid.
Scores of people marched from the Montazah police department on Sunday to the headquarters of the local electricity company demanding that power be fully restored.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
