Less than third of voters turn out in Egypt election

Less than one third of voters cast ballots in the second phase of Egyptian parliamentary elections held across almost half of the country’s provinces at the weekend, authorities said on Wednesday.

The 29.9 percent turnout was only marginally higher than the 26.6 percent registered in the first stage of voting last month, which was followed by a run-off that saw 21.7 percent vote.

Experts say the result of the election is a foregone conclusion, with the 596-member parliament expected to rubber-stamp President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s policies in the absence of any opposition.

The turnout in the second stage of voting held across 13 of the country’s 27 provinces was 29.83 percent, said electoral commission chief Ayman Abbas.

Ninety-nine out of 102 constituencies will now hold a run-off vote on December 1-2, he told reporters, adding that of the 222 individual seats that were contested only nine saw candidates winning with a clear majority.

In the latest vote, 60 seats from the lists saw clear winners, while in the first stage, another 60 were swept by a pro-Sisi coalition For Love of Egypt.

Of the 596 lawmakers, 448 will be elected as independents, 120 from lists and the rest 28 will be direct presidential appointees.
The election is the first since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in 2013.

The previous one was held between November 2011 and January 2012, months after a popular uprising toppled longtime strongman Husni Mubarak.

The first round of voting in that election had seen a high turnout of 62 percent.