Egypt elections underway amid voter turnout concerns

World Today

Egypt is in the midst of its own elections, as the second phase of parliamentary polls is under way. There are major concerns over voter turn out, but it’s certainly not the only issue. Last month’s Russian plane crash in the Sinai is still fresh in voters’ minds.

CCTV’s Adel EL Mahrouky reports from Cairo.

Egyptians have been voting in 13 governorships, including the troubled Sinai region. A curfew has been in place for months, but the duration was reduced so that Egyptians could vote.

“Every thing is moving normally, The Army and the police are completely securing all ballot stations. My zone is far from the Sinai, but I want to assure Egyptians we will sacrifice ourselves for their safety,” Egyptian Armed Forces General Abdel Ghany Al Shogair said.

There were fears that voters in Sinai could become targets of attacks. Just last month, a militant group targeted and killed one of the candidates is North Sinai. For election day, 160,000 troops have been maintaining security across the country.

“We came to vote in support to our country and our president, and no one will make us afraid to pursue that right, even if they are going to slaughter each one of us. We’ll always say our country is more important,” said Cairo resident Nadia Shafik.

But similar to the first round of voting, few young voters could be seen on the streets. Only 26 percent voted in the first round.

This is the final phase in the political road map that began after the military ousted former President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.