Egyptian officials say 29.83 percent turnout in parliamentary elections
Egyptian officials say 29.83 percent turnout in parliamentary elections
Egypt's electoral committee has announced the turnout in the second stage of voting was almost 30 percent, as an electoral coalition loyal to President Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi swept the voting.
3 min read
Officials said turnout in the first round of voting was 26.6 percent [Getty]
The High Elections Committee [HEC] announced on Wednesday that turnout in second stage of parliamentary elections, which took place in 13 provinces, including Cairo, was 29.83 percent, according to al-Araby al-Jadeed's Arabic service.
"For the Love of Egypt", a loyalist electoral alliance led by a former intelligence officer, has now swept both rounds of the elections and will enter parliament with all 120 seats allocated to winner-takes-all lists.
"The coalition is made up of hundreds of members who unconditionally support Sisi," a political analyst told an al-Araby al-Jadeed's correspondent.
"They have no clear economic vison for the country and have interests tied up with big businessmen," the analyst added.
Police dispersed dozens of candidates who held a demonstration outside the HEC's headquarters in Cairo to protest the results of the elections.
A source in the judicial system told an al-Araby al-Jadeed correspondent that so far over 350 appeals have been made against the official results of the vote, which include cases of electoral bribery, campaigning outside polling stations and miscounting of votes.
The second phase of elections, hailed by Sisi as the climax of the military's roadmap to democracy, were held on Sunday and Monday, with low voter turnout similar to the first phase.
Last month's first stage of voting saw a turnout of 26.6 percent, according to official statistics, however independent research organisations have said that, in reality, even fewer eligible voters actually turned out to cast their ballots.
See Also: Egypt: Top cleric says boycotting elections like 'disobeying parents'
"People aren't interested in the elections. Turnout has been low, the wind doesn't always blow the way sailors want," said food cart worker Amm Ahmad.
The vote is meant to restore parliament after a gap of more than three years, which critics say have been undermined by widespread repression.
All but nine of the 222 individual seats contested in round two will be subject to run-offs between leading candidates. They will take place on Dec. 1-2 after candidates failed to secure a majority of votes in earlier rounds.
The new parliament will contain 568 elected members - 448 elected on an individual basis and 120 through the winner-take-all lists that have all gone to loyalists. Sisi may appoint as many as 28 more lawmakers.
Preliminary results are expected on Dec. 3, and the final list of parliamentary members will be announced on December 20.
Egypt's last parliament was elected in 2011-12, in the first election after the popular uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. Voting then was marked by long queues and youthful excitement. The Muslim Brotherhood, long the country's main opposition movement, won about half the seats.
A court dissolved that parliament in mid-2012. A year later, Sisi, then military chief, removed President Mohammad Morsi of the Brotherhood from power after mass street protests against his rule.
The Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist party, was banned, declared a terrorist organisation and thousands of its members were jailed.
A list of socialist and liberal parties which would have presented the main opposition choice eventually withdrew, leaving the field dominated by Sisi supporters, Mubarak-era figures, provincial notables and businessmen.
"For the Love of Egypt", a loyalist electoral alliance led by a former intelligence officer, has now swept both rounds of the elections and will enter parliament with all 120 seats allocated to winner-takes-all lists.
"The coalition is made up of hundreds of members who unconditionally support Sisi," a political analyst told an al-Araby al-Jadeed's correspondent.
 |
|
| The last Islamist-dominated parliament was dissolved in 2012 [Getty] |
Police dispersed dozens of candidates who held a demonstration outside the HEC's headquarters in Cairo to protest the results of the elections.
A source in the judicial system told an al-Araby al-Jadeed correspondent that so far over 350 appeals have been made against the official results of the vote, which include cases of electoral bribery, campaigning outside polling stations and miscounting of votes.
The second phase of elections, hailed by Sisi as the climax of the military's roadmap to democracy, were held on Sunday and Monday, with low voter turnout similar to the first phase.
Last month's first stage of voting saw a turnout of 26.6 percent, according to official statistics, however independent research organisations have said that, in reality, even fewer eligible voters actually turned out to cast their ballots.
See Also: Egypt: Top cleric says boycotting elections like 'disobeying parents'
"People aren't interested in the elections. Turnout has been low, the wind doesn't always blow the way sailors want," said food cart worker Amm Ahmad.
The vote is meant to restore parliament after a gap of more than three years, which critics say have been undermined by widespread repression.
All but nine of the 222 individual seats contested in round two will be subject to run-offs between leading candidates. They will take place on Dec. 1-2 after candidates failed to secure a majority of votes in earlier rounds.
The new parliament will contain 568 elected members - 448 elected on an individual basis and 120 through the winner-take-all lists that have all gone to loyalists. Sisi may appoint as many as 28 more lawmakers.
Preliminary results are expected on Dec. 3, and the final list of parliamentary members will be announced on December 20.
Egypt's last parliament was elected in 2011-12, in the first election after the popular uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. Voting then was marked by long queues and youthful excitement. The Muslim Brotherhood, long the country's main opposition movement, won about half the seats.
A court dissolved that parliament in mid-2012. A year later, Sisi, then military chief, removed President Mohammad Morsi of the Brotherhood from power after mass street protests against his rule.
The Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist party, was banned, declared a terrorist organisation and thousands of its members were jailed.
A list of socialist and liberal parties which would have presented the main opposition choice eventually withdrew, leaving the field dominated by Sisi supporters, Mubarak-era figures, provincial notables and businessmen.
More In News
