CAIRO – 17 March 2018: For the second day in a row, Egyptian embassies and consulates witnessed a high turnout of Egyptian expatriates flocking to cast their ballots in the 2018 presidential election scheduled to last until Sunday. Kuwait preserved its first ranking according to the number of votes for the second day.
A huge number of voters lined up in long queues in front of the Egyptian embassies waiting for the polling stations to open so they could cast their votes. Voters waved the Egyptian flag and chanted "Long Live Egypt" as they waited for the polls to open.
The Egyptian embassy in New Zealand was the first to open to the electorate at 10 p.m. (Cairo time) on Friday, given the 11-hour time difference with Cairo.
Australia, China, Japan, Russia and Indonesia shortly followed New Zealand throughout the night; most Egyptian ambassadors of these countries noted that the electoral process started smoothly in the morning amid expectations of high voter turnout at different polling stations.
High turnout of voters on second day: ambassadors
Egypt’s Consul in Jeddah Hazem Ramadan said that the consulate had seen “honorable and delightful” voter turnout during the first day of Egypt’s presidential election abroad on Friday.
“We have witnessed incredible voter turnout on the first day, and I expect numbers to increase,” said Ramadan, adding that the voting coincides with the official weekend in the kingdom (Fridays and Saturdays).
Egyptian community in Jeddah head to polling stations on second day of presidential election - Egypt Today
Egypt’s Ambassador to Kuwait Tarek al-Qouni hailed the package of facilitation provided by the embassy, including the system of transportation that was set up to transport voters from specific gathering points to the embassy, as well as the modern mechanism of voting that allows voters to cast their ballots in less than a minute. Moreover, Qouni confirmed that voter turnout increased on the second day.
Egyptian community members in Kuwait lined up in long queues in front of the embassy waiting enthusiastically to cast their votes – Egypt Today
“Egyptians’ long queues for the second consecutive day in front of embassies and consulates where they cast their ballots reflect the Egyptians’ will that Egyptian people vote for a president who can achieve stability,” Egyptian Ambassador to the U.K. Nasser Kamel said.
“I’m proud of all Egyptian expatriates. As a representative of the Egyptian state in the U.K., I feel proud of the intensive turnout of all ages and classes,” Kamel added in a phone conversation with anchor Osama Kamal on DMC satellite channel on Friday.
Kamel added that “although London has witnessed an ice storm, I expect more voters will take part in the polls on Saturday and Sunday.”
Egypt’s ambassador in Canada, Moataz Zahran, expected a noticeable increase in the number of voters on Saturday, March 17 and Sunday, March 18.
“The Egyptian consulate in Los Angeles saw many Egyptians coming from various states to cast their ballots in the first voting day of the 2018 presidential election,” Egyptian General Consul to the U.S. Lamia Mekhamair said Friday.
Egyptian expatriates at Egyptian embassy in New York to vote in the presidential election - Egypt Today
Mekhaimar stressed to the American Pulse TV program that Egyptian expatriates’ huge turnout on the first day expresses their high sense of patriotic duty, adding that “Egyptians arrived so early at the consulate’s headquarters on Friday to cast their votes, although Friday is a working day.”
Egyptian Ambassador to China Osama Al-Magdoub said the embassy in Beijing has contacted the Egyptian community residing in China over the past few days via social media to encourage them to exercise their constitutional right to participate in the presidential election.
The Egyptian ambassador in China Osama Al-Magdoub - Egypt Today
He added that the cultural advisor at the embassy communicated with Egyptian students studying in Beijing and nearby cities to urge them to participate in the electoral process.
Magdoub said that the embassy explained to the Egyptian citizens how to cast their votes accurately and showed them the common mistakes that might lead to their ballots being invalidated.
“The Egyptian community in Mauritania is joyfully and happily keen to vote in the presidential election despite their few numbers,” Egyptian Ambassador Maged Nafei in Nouakchott was quoted as saying by Egyptian news agency MENA.
Egyptians are example of determination: Immigration Min.
Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram praised the high turnout by citizens who amassed at Egyptian embassies abroad.
Markam expressed her appreciation to Egyptian nationals abroad for taking part in the election process, describing them as "Egypt's soldiers abroad".
Egyptian Immigration Minister Nabila Makram at Operation room - press photo
The minister added in press remarks that Egyptians abroad have provided an honorable example of determination and persistence.
She pointed out that the election operation room at the ministry received around 149 inquiries about the election until 9:00 p.m. during the first day.
NEA press conference
The National Election Authority (NEA) announced that the authority did not receive any complaints about the voting process abroad during the second day of the presidential election.
It announced that Kuwait preserved its first ranking according to the number of votes for the second day, while Saudi Arabia came in second, followed by the UAE.
Moussa's campaign expects 4 million voters abroad
The high voter turnout by Egyptian expats delivered a message of determination and persistence to the world, presidential hopeful Moussa Moustafa Moussa's campaign spokesperson, Mahmoud Moussa, said on Sunday.
Moussa said that the campaign expects the participation of approximately 4 million citizens from Egyptian communities abroad.
Moussa's campaign expressed its satisfaction with the smooth voting process that occurred on the first day of voting abroad.
Comments
Leave a Comment