Archive for Voter turnout

Official referendum results expected Tuesday

by admin
December 24th, 2012

 

Official tallies of the referendum vote on the country's new constitution will be announced on Tuesday, the legal deadline for declaring the results, the High Judicial Elections Commission announced Monday.

Unofficial results give the charter 64 percent approval an estimate about 30 percent voter turnout. 

Members at the committee supervising the polls told state news agency MENA they are still reviewing complaints and challenges concerning the electoral process. 

Media and watchdog groups have reported that voting, which was split by governorate over 15 and 22 December, was marred by delays and irregularities, including an insufficient number of judges to supervise polling stations.

Abdel Rahman Bahlul, a member of the election committee, told MENA the results would not be declared on Monday, noting that the panel is working on responding to all complaints and challenges filed.

Mahmoud Abu Shousha, another member of the panel, said the HJEC will soon begin aggregating results from the first and the second day of voting, in addition to votes by Egyptians living abroad. 

Edited translation from MENA

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Analysts predict low voter turnout in second round of referendum

by admin
December 21st, 2012

Analysts are predicted a voter turnout ranging between 30 and 40 percent in the second phase of the constitutional referendum on Saturday, despite efforts to rally the vote by supporters and opponents of the constitution.

There was only 32 percent turnout in the first phase of voting, which was unexpected in light of long lines before polling stations.

Opposition forces have cited low turnout as evidence of a lack of national consensus on the draft constitution, saying that the document would have little legitimacy if passed with the minimum 50 plus one majority.

Voting takes place amid a bitter rift between Islamist forces pushing for a “yes” vote on the constitution, and opposition forces that say the document limits freedoms and rights.

“Voting blocs at the second round’s governorates, in light of Islamist domination, target increasing the 'yes' vote, so the constitution wouldn’t be challenged,” said Tarek Fahmy, a political science professor at the American University in Cairo, as quoted in the Turkish Anadolu news agency.

Some argued that the poor logistics and a shortage of judges, resulting in long lines at the polling stations, would discourage voters from participating.

 “In the best case scenario, participation at the second round will be the same of the first. It’s not expected to exceed 40 percent,” said Hussein Abu Taleb of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies said.

Other experts, however, were optimistic about approaching participation levels close to the 41 percent turnout in the referendum on the March 2011 Constitutional Declaration, which was the highest percentage of voter participation in Egypt’s history.

Responding to security concerns surrounding tomorrow's vote, Interior Ministry spokesperson Osama Ismail said the police would carry out their duty according to the law and would secure the referendum in the second phase.

Ministry leaders, officers and soldiers securing the electoral process have been instructed to confront any acts that may hinder vote or affect voters, he added.

"The role of the Ministry [of Interior] is to secure the committees and headquarters from the outside in coordination with the Armed Forces," he said.

Ismail called on voters to keep the process peaceful.

The second round of voting is set to take place on Saturday 22 December in 17 governorates, including Giza, Qalyubiya, Monufiya, Beheira, Kafr al-Sheikh, Damietta, Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, Marsa Matrouh, Red Sea, New Valley, Beni Suef, Fayoum, Minya, Luxor and Qena.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Politicians react to early referendum results

by admin
December 16th, 2012

Political figures had different reactions to the constitutional referendum after the end of the first phase on Saturday night, as preliminary results indicated more votes in favor of the draft than against.

The Freedom and Justice Party reported that semi-official results, based on 99.2 percent of polling stations, show 56.5 percent of voters approving the constitution and 43.5 percent rejecting it.

Prime Minister Hesham Qandil posted on Facebook Sunday to thank everyone, especially judges, the Armed Forces and police, that contributed to ensuring that the first phase of the referendum was civilized.

Qandil added that voter turnout reflects the Egyptian people’s spirit of responsibility.

Initial results estimate voter turnout at around 30 percent of eligible voters.

Constitution Party head Mohamed ElBaradei, who also leads the opposition National Salvation Front, tweeted on Sunday, “The nation gets more divided and the state pillars are falling.”

Mohamed Adel, a leading member of the April 6 Youth Movement, said the percentage of voters who rejected the constitution, 44 percent, is high, and stressed that there is a great split in the Egyptian street over the draft.  

This percentage shattered the dreams of Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood, according to Adel, after nearly half of the Egyptian people rejected the draft constitution.

The movement released a statement saying that it would continue to call on citizens to vote “no.”

“Members of the movement have begun to intensify their activities and they are confident in their ability to reject the draft constitution,” it said.

“It is unreasonable in a respectable country that a constitution could be passed with almost a 44 percent rate of rejection,” Adel added. “It is a very high percentage, even when only 31 percent of those eligible participated, and despite violations by the Islamist current and attempts to convince voters to choose 'yes.'"

Freedom and Justice Party Vice President Essam al-Erian wrote on Facebook, “Members of the FJP and the Muslim Brotherhood, and all forces that voted against blocking the revolution, stood with progress, ongoing development, stability and building new Egyptian constitutional institutions.” He called on citizens to rest and reflect on the first phase, considering the outcome.

“Egypt speaks for itself and no one has the right to speak on its behalf,” Erian concluded.

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In Minya, diesel queues are longer than elections queues

by admin
June 17th, 2012

The presidential runoff elections are still witnessing low voter turnout rates in the south-central governorate of Minya.

Often referred to as the "Bride of Upper Egypt," the city of Minya is located about 250 km south of Cairo. Although the city is largely covered by the campaign posters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsy and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq (with more of the former candidate), the voter turnout rate was visibly low in comparison to the People's Assembly elections and the first round of the presidential race.

Only a few short lines could be seen outside the schools that had been turned into polling stations. There were longer lines of vehicles waiting for gasoline and diesel, which have been scarce recently.

Hot weather might be behind the low voter turnout, but political reasons also explain the lack of interest.

Nagwa Abdel Maqsoud, a middle-aged voter standing outside the Abna al-Thawra Secondary School, said, "There were many people lining up to vote during the morning. The hot weather has kept many people at home, or indoors, today." She expected more people to show up and vote during the evening when weather grows cooler.

However, voter numbers did not significantly increase during the evening of the first day of the runoff.

Mahmoud Atef, a young voter standing outside Minya Primary School for Boys, said "the heat has kept many people from voting today. But I believe that it is the bitter choice of presidential candidates which has kept the majority of people away today."

Despite the low turnout, a couple of election-related scuffles and fistfights have been reported.

Campaigning turned into heated physical confrontations on Saturday in the town of Abu Qurqas. Representatives of Shafiq and Morsy locked horns today at the Salah Salem Primary School for reasons that were not clear. No serious injuries were reported, and the conflict was reported to be peacefully contained by security forces stationed around the polling station.

On Thursday, prior to the runoff, another clash was reported to have taken place in downtown Minya City. This conflict involved Shafiq campaigners and members of the April 6 Youth Movement, who recently announced their support for Morsy in the runoff. Fistfights are reported to have taken place in Palace Square after the two camps began chanting opposing slogans.

A significant number of Coptic Christians live in this city and the governorate as a whole, many of whom have been seen voting today. Most of Minya's Copts are expected to vote for Shafiq, in light of Morsy's Islamist agenda. The campaigns and counter-campaigns of the two finalists have sought to allay fears and woo Egypt's Christian minority. In doing so, the campaigns have brought a sectarian element into the presidential race.

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Lawyers Syndicate: Run-off turnout not exceeding 15%

by admin
June 16th, 2012

So far the voter turnout in the presidential election run-off has not exceeded 15 percent at the majority of polling stations nationwide, the Lawyers Syndicate's committee for monitoring the run-off said Saturday.

"In a number of cities the turnout is as low as 5 or 7 percent, such as in Cairo, Damanhour, Zagazig, Port Said, Ismailia, Mansoura, Fayoum, Kafr al-Sheikh, 6th of October City, Giza, Minya, and Sohag." the commitee's first report said.

It also said there were rare cases of illegal campaigning for both Mohamed Morsy and Ahmed Shafiq. Campaigning is banned on election days.

"The run-off election is more disciplined than the first round," the report said. 

"There was an clear delay in opening some polling stations in the first four hours. The majority opened to voters between 8:30 and 9 am. Ten percent of the polling stations opened at about 9:30 am because judges and employees managing the electoral process arrived late. This happened in Assiut, Daqahliya, Red Sea, New Valley, Matrouh, Kafr al-Sheikh, Arish and Toar,"

"There was a medium turnout at polling stations in the governorates of Gharbiya, Qaliubiya, Sharqiya, Damietta, Red Sea, South Sinai, Qena, Assuit, New Valley and Matrouh," it added.  
 
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Cabinet adopts measures to maximize voter turnout in runoff

by admin
June 11th, 2012

Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri adopted procedures Monday intended to maximize voter turnout in the runoff election, which is slated to start this weekend, a Cabinet source said.

State employees will have off work both Saturday and Sunday for the runoff, he said, and prices of all air-conditioned means of transportation will be cut in half. All other forms of public transportation will be free during the two days of the vote.

Ganzouri, the head of the Presidential Elections Commission and ruling military council head Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi made the decisions at a meeting on preparations for the second round of the election.

The source said Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim presented a report on how the second round of the election would be secured in cooperation with the armed forces.

Local Development Minister Mohamed Ahmed Attiya presented a plan on facilities that would be provided to transport voters who live outside their constituencies to enable them to go to the polls.

The presidential runoff pits Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsy against Ahmed Shafiq, ex-President Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister and a former air force commander.

News outlets had reported that government leaders have urged their subordinates to vote for Shafiq, a statesmen with a military background who worked as aviation minister from 2002 to January 2011, when Egypt’s uprising began.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Egyptian Embassy in London: Voter turnout less than 15 percent

by admin
May 15th, 2012

Voter turnout for the presidential election that began on Friday did not exceed 15 percent of all registered voters, announced the Egyptian embassy in London.

The embassy called on all registered voters to participate in elections at the embassy from 8am to 8pm, or vote by mail, until the deadline on 17 May. 

In an official statement, the embassy called on voters to avoid waiting until the last moment to visit the embassy or to send their ballots by mail to avoid crowding or the exclusion of their ballots if received after the deadline.

The embassy said that voters could use their automated Egyptian passports which contain their national ID number on the main page or a copy of it as an acceptable alternative to ID cards or a copy of the ID card when voting at the Embassy or by mail. Voters must be registered at the Presidential Elections Commission’s website.

Edited translation from MENA

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Egyptian Embassy in London: Voter turnout less than 15 percent

by admin
May 15th, 2012

Voter turnout for the presidential election that began on Friday did not exceed 15 percent of all registered voters, announced the Egyptian embassy in London.

The embassy called on all registered voters to participate in elections at the embassy from 8am to 8pm, or vote by mail, until the deadline on 17 May. 

In an official statement, the embassy called on voters to avoid waiting until the last moment to visit the embassy or to send their ballots by mail to avoid crowding or the exclusion of their ballots if received after the deadline.

The embassy said that voters could use their automated Egyptian passports which contain their national ID number on the main page or a copy of it as an acceptable alternative to ID cards or a copy of the ID card when voting at the Embassy or by mail. Voters must be registered at the Presidential Elections Commission’s website.

Edited translation from MENA

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Weak turnout on first day of presidential elections, says Egypt’s envoy to US

by admin
May 12th, 2012

Voter turnout on the first day of the presidential elections was low among expatriates living in the US, Egyptian Ambassador to the US Sameh Shokry has said.
 
Low numbers of Egyptians cast ballots in the Egyptian Embassy in Washington and four consulates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Huston, Shokry told state news wire MENA.
He suggested that the low turnout was because Friday is a working day in the US and expat voters still have a week to vote.
 
Egyptian expatriates began voting Friday in the first presidential elections since Hosni Mubarak's ouster in February last year. Expatriate voting runs until May 17, with the run-off scheduled for 3 June.
 
The number of registered expat voters is a small proportion of the estimated 8 million Egyptians abroad. Egypt's election commission says some 500,000 are registered to vote in 166 countries. Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Egyptian expat voters.
 
At home, 53 million Egyptians are eligible to vote.
 
Shokry told MENA that 6,000 registered voters live in Washington. He said the 29,000 voters registered in the US is an increase of 7,000 on the number registered for the parliamentary elections.
 
He added that presidential candidates' representatives arrived late on the first day and that the staff worked with the highest degrees of efficiency and vitality, in terms of matching copies of the documents they have with the originals provided by voters to avoid double-voting.
 
The ambassador said there was no campaigning for any candidate inside, outside or in the vicinity of the embassy building.
 
Edited translation from MENA
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Turnout for Shura Council polls remains weak

by admin
February 15th, 2012

Polling stations opened with low voter turnout Wednesday for the second day in the final round of elections for the Shura Council, Egypt's upper house of Parliament.

This round, which started Tuesday and ends Wednesday, is being held in 14 governorates: Aswan, Beheira, Beni Suef, Giza, Ismailia, Kafr al-Sheikh, Luxor, Marsa Matrouh, Minya, Port Said, Qalyubiya, Sharqiya, Sohag and Suez, where 536 candidates are competing for 60 party list-based seats. Another 891 candidates are running for 30 single-winner seats. Runoffs are slated to start 22 February.

Voter turnout remains low in most of the governorates, according to several reports.

One World Foundation, an Egyptian human rights organization observing the process, reported that several violations took place, such as campaigning outside polling stations, the absence of voter registries and delays in opening some stations.

Supervisors at some stations referred voters to candidates’ campaigns outside the stations to provide them with the information they needed, the report said, and some campaigners tried to use this to influence voters.

The foundation’s observers in Suez said minors campaigned for the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party outside the Nasser Preparatory School polling station.

Campaigns by supporters of both list-based and independent candidates intensified midday despite the weak turnout.

FJP swept many of the seats during the first round earlier this month, held in 13 governorates including Cairo, followed by the Salafi-oriented Nour Party.

Voter turnout for that round was 15 percent.

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