Second day of voting kicks off in Egypt

The second day of voting for the national parliament kicked off in Egypt on Monday, but while the vote has thus far been largely calm, the elections have been marred by a low turnout and accusations of cronyism.

The vote for the much-delayed 596-member parliament began on Sunday and is being staged in two phases, ending on 2 December. According to AFP reporters on the ground voting so far has been “listless” in 14 of the 27 provinces.

Public servants have been awarded a half-day on Monday in an attempt to lure them to the polls, with some cities introducing free transportation to boost participation The official Ahram Online news website has said that polling queues have already begun to appear some two hours before polls opened, although the organisation reported that “turnout in most places seemed low”. Authorities can fine people LE500 ($63) for not voting but the fine is very rarely applied. 

Most of the more than 5,000 candidates overwhelmingly support Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and are expected to dominate parliament, especially with most opposition groups - including the Muslim Brotherhood which won Egypt’s first democratic elections - now banned.

Mona Ahmed, 20, told the New York Times that she did not plan to vote.

“Everyone is lying to everyone,” the young Giza resident said.

Yara Essam, 21, also from Giza said she felt “suffocated” by politics. While Essam said she had voted once before for Sisi, back in 2014, she said that she now regretted her decision as “nothing [was] going right” for her family.

The long-delayed elections are the first to take place since the old parliament was dissolved in 2012 by a court ruling. The Muslim Brotherhood, won about half the seats in the last parliament but has since been banned with many of its leaders in jail and facing death sentences.

Om Ali, a housewife in her 60s who came out to vote on Monday told Ahram Online that she did not know any of candidates and was concerned about accidentally voting for a Brotherhood or Salafist candidate. She said that she consulted another voter at the station to ensure she did not vote for an Islamist candidate, the paper said.

"We want the best for our country. I was hesitant to come and vote but I just decided I would, and I was sure people would guide me,” said Om Ali, who was not identified by her full name. 

In Alexandria, where the Salafist Nour Party as well as the Muslim Brotherhood, have traditionally has strong support, voters told media that they were turning to independent candidates instead. 

"It's not about politics anymore," Ahmed Fouad, a former member of Alexandria's municipal council, told Ahram Online. "People will vote for who they know personally because all the parties failed to promote themselves to the public," he said.

"In terms of the individual seats system, I see the competition being between independent candidates, in some cases former National Democratic Party (NDP) members, while in terms of the party-based lists system I see For the Love of Egypt and the Nour Party list winning," he Fouad said.

The NDP is the former party of ex-president Hosni Mubarak who was overthrown by a popular uprising in 2011. While the NDP was banned, many of its leading figures have begun to return to politics since Sisi ousted his predecessor, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi, in 2013.