Egyptians turned out in low numbers on Sunday to vote in the first phase of an election hailed by president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as a milestone on the road to democracy – but shunned by critics who say the new chamber will rubber -stamp his decisions.
Many voters were elderly supporters of Mr Sisi, who as army chief toppled Egypt’s first freely elected president in 2013, then launched a fierce crackdown on dissent.
Egypt has had no parliament since June 2012 when a court dissolved the democratically elected main chamber, then dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, reversing a key accomplishment of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.
Mr Sisi, the latest man from the military to rule Egypt, ousted elected president Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood after mass protests against him.
Many of the young secular activists at the forefront of the 2011 uprising that deposed Mubarak also ended up on the wrong side of the law.
Visits by Reuters correspondents to polling stations showed light turnout, in contrast to the long lines that formed at the last election in 2012.
Young Egyptians boycotting the polls were cynical.
Just for show
“It’s not going to matter. It’s just for show, to show that we are a democracy, and we have elections, and blah blah blah any nonsense,” said Ahmed Mostafa (25), who works in a lab.
“Most people in our generation feel the same way: that all of this is a show.”
Ahmed Ibrahim (34), accountant, had a similar view.
“The youth in Egypt, our ambition in 2011, we were going to build the country – but then suddenly it was stolen from us,” he said.
“Ninety-nine percent of my friends are not going to vote.”
In the working-class Cairo neighbourhood of Gezirat al-Dahab, a judge at a polling station said only about 10 percent of registered voters had taken part.
On paper, the new parliament will have wide-ranging powers. It can reject the president’s choice for prime minister, and even impeach the president.
But with Muslim Brotherhood leaders and youth activists behind bars, critics doubt it can provide much in the way of checks and balances.
Taken seriously
“The election is a farce. I don’t think anyone in Egypt is taking it seriously,” Muslim Brotherhood official Wafaa Hefny told Reuters.
Soldiers and policemen stood guard outside a polling station in a school in 6th of October City on the outskirts of Cairo, where there were only about 30 people casting ballots.
Vans blasted nationalist and pro-army songs. In a country where half the rapidly growing population is under 25, most voters were elderly or middle-aged.
“I want the youth to get elected. We need new blood,” said Fatma Farag, an elderly woman.
Few analysts expect turnout to exceed a third of the electorate.– (Reuters)