Massive turnout as Egyptians vote for Mubarak’s successor

Cairo: Egyptians on Wednesday showed up in high numbers to cast their ballots in the country’s first presidential elections since Hosni Mubarak was removed from power more than a year ago.

“I feel proud of voting for the first time in my life and choosing the president,” said Fathi Shukri, a 58-year-old coffee shop attendant, as he stood in a long queue outside a polling station in the eastern Cairo district of Hadeq Al Quba.

“Egyptians have conquered fear and the next president regardless of who is, will have to heed the anger of the people,” he added, as he held the hand of his six-year-old grandchild.

“All contenders and their supporters should accept the result so that stability and security will return to the country,” said Harbi Fouad, a taxi driver, standing in the same line. “This is democracy and we are all Egyptians.”

Hatem Bigatu, secretary-general of the elections commission, said the turnout was way beyond expectation.

“The turnout is huge. It is higher than expected,” Bigatu said of the election widely seen as Egypt’s first free democratic presidential polls. A total of 13 candidates stood for election.

The contenders cast their ballots in different areas in Egypt.

Amr Mousa, a frontrunner in the race, stood in a long line at a polling station at a school in Nasr City in eastern Cairo.

“I am optimistic about the election. It’s a historic day for Egypt,” Mousa, who served as a foreign minister under Mubarak for a decade before being appointed as the chief of the Arab League, said.

Ahmad Shafiq, another Mubarak-era official, angered his opponents when he called a press conference in violation of election campaign rules.

“I will stop chaos and will not be weak as a president,” he said at the press conference held in the Cairo district of Dokki.

Shafiq, an ex-army general, vowed to accept the result of the election.

As word went around about the press conference, MP Essam Sultan, a vociferous critic of Shafiq, officially requested the election commission to disqualify him. The commission said it had presented a complaint against Shafiq against Shafiq over the reported breach of the campaign ban.

Other leading runners in the race are moderate Islamist Abdul Moneim Abu Al Fotouh; the head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party Mohammed Mursi; and leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi.

If no candidate secures a clear majority in the two-day election, a runoff will be held on June 16 and 17.

Around 300,000 army soldiers and police officers were deployed Wednesday, the first day of the two-day vote. Military helicopters were seen hovering in Cairo as part of tight security measures put in place to secure the electoral exercise.

The country’s military ruler, Hussain Tantawi and his deputy Sami Anan monitored the day’s events at an operation room in the defence ministry in Cairo, according to state media.

Other members of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces toured places where the polling was under way without going inside lest they be accused of influencing the voters.

While Major-General Mohammad Al Assar denied any irregularities, election monitors reported illegal canvassing of votes allegedly done by supporters of some candidates, mainly the Brotherhood’s Mohammad Mursi. The National Council for Human Rights, a state-backed watchdog, said the violations were limited compared to those that happened during the three-stage parliamentary election held from November to January last year.

Former US president Jimmy Carter on Wednesday visited some polling stations in the Cairo areas of Al Sayedda Zeinab and Al Sayyeda Aisha. He refused to comment when asked about his views on the conduct of the election.Monitors from 60 local groups and three foreign organisations, including Carter’s, were allowed to observe the election, which are fully supervised by judges.

An estimated 50.4 million Egyptians have been qualified to vote in the polls, according to the election commission. However, Mubarak and officials in his regime did not cast their ballots.

“Mubarak and former officials, who are being detained without being convicted, should be given the right to vote,” said Naser Amin, a human rights activist.

“Special polling stations should be set up inside prisons where all former officials who are in police custody can cast their ballots,” he added.

Mubarak, 84, is in detention at an army medical centre near Cairo. He is facing charges of corruption and involvement in killing peaceful protesters during a popular uprising that toppled him in February last year.

“Allowing Mubarak to vote needs a decision from the Higher Presidential Election Commission,” said Interior Minister Mohammad Ebrahim whose ministry is in charge of prisons. “The interior ministry is a mere executive body,” he added.

Sources inside the election commission, said neither Mubarak nor figures in his regime, being detained without conviction, have not applied to be allowed to cast their ballots.

Mubarak scored a landslide win when he called for Egypt’s first multi-candidate presidential election in 2005.