Niqab-clad women line up to vote in presidential election-AFP
CAIRO – 28 March 2018: An Egyptian woman wearing niqab said that she has casted her ballot in the presidential election on Tuesday, opposing her husband, who threatened to divorce her if she left the house to vote in the election.
The wife, who voted at the Ahmed Orabi School polling station in Duwaiqa district, added that she was determined to participate in the election despite her husband’s threats, saying, "The husband can be compensated, but Egypt cannot."
Women have been the trump card of the 2018 presidential election so far.
It was not just media outlets that noticed the high turnout of women in the election, as most of the international NGO delegations shared the same thought in their initial statements regarding the election process.
Media outlets released several photos of women standing in lines waiting to cast their ballots. Other pictures and videos showed them dancing in front of the polling stations and raising Egypt’s flag along with pictures of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.
Media figures, officials and actors have all called on Egyptians to take part in the election, calling it a national duty. Many of them went on to highlight that even if people disagree with the country’s current situation, they should look beyond their personal grievances for the country’s interest.
About 60 million Egyptians are eligible to vote in the ongoing polls to elect the country’s next president, in a race pitting incumbent President Abdel Fatah Al Sisi against Ghad Party Chairman Moussa Moustafa Moussa.
Voting will continue until Wednesday. Polls will be opened over a twelve-hour period, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. (CLT).
The voters can find their electoral committees through the official website of the National Elections Authority (NEA). (https://www.elections.eg/home)
The final results of the first round will be announced on April 2.
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