Egypt Sees Robust Voter Turnout in Presidential Election

Egypt’s National Election Authority (NEA) reported a substantial turnout in the ongoing presidential election, with approximately 45% of eligible voters participating by noon Monday. The elections, which started on Sunday, have seen high engagement across the nation, particularly in 360 nonresident polling stations.

Ahmed Bendari, the executive director of the NEA and head of its Central Operations Room, highlighted the significant voter presence, noting that the high turnout led to a shortage of voting cards at some stations, necessitating additional supplies.

Egypt’s presidential election features four candidates, including the incumbent President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, an independent; Egyptian Social Democratic Party leader Farid Zahran; Hazem Omar, chief of the Republican People’s Party; and Abdel-Sanad Yamama, the candidate for the nationalist liberal Egyptian Wafd Party.

Over 67 million citizens are eligible to vote at more than 9,000 polling stations. Nonresident polling stations, established in every province, aim to ease voting for workers away from their homes.

Voting, which is scheduled to last until Tuesday, allows a 12-hour window each day for citizens to cast their ballots. Egyptians abroad had the opportunity to vote earlier, from Dec. 1 to Dec. 3.

The NEA plans to declare a winner on Dec. 18 if any candidate secures an absolute majority. However, if a run-off is necessary, the final result may be delayed until Jan. 16.