Consul General of Egypt in Jeddah Ali El-Ashri said yesterday that about 54 percent of Egyptian expatriates living in Jeddah and neighboring cities are expected to cast their ballots in the first post-revolution presidential election runoff. The runoff voting, which kicked off on June 3 for Egyptians living abroad, will conclude Saturday. The votes will be counted Sunday.
Speaking to Arab News, El-Ashri said that about 60,000 eligible voters exercised their franchise in the first round of elections. A total of 102,709 electorates have registered at the Jeddah polling station, which represents 20 percent of the total registered electorates outside Egypt. There are about 3.5 million Egyptians residing in Saudi Arabia. They are regarded as the largest Egyptian community living outside the country.
El-Ashri said that there has been a huge turnout of voters as the last day of polling approaches. Elaborate preparations have been made at the consulate general to ensure smooth conduct of polling by the expatriates.
The first round of presidential elections of the post-Mubarak era was held in May. Since none of the 13 candidates garnered a clear majority with over 50 percent, a runoff round is being held between the top two candidates: Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi and Mubarak-era Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq.
Arab News saw several enthusiastic Egyptians standing in queues waiting for their turn to cast their ballots and thus becoming part of the historic process of deciding who will be their first democratically elected president. Hassan Ismail, one of the voters, said that the country is in need of a powerful president who brings back stability and security to the country.
Salah Shahata, who did not take part in the first round of elections, said that he decided to cast his ballot in the runoff as it is crucial for the future of Egypt. He voiced concern over the prospect of Mursi winning the election, saying Egypt was not ripe for a rule by Islamists.
But Khaled Jalal said a victory of Shafiq may trigger protests at the historic Tahrir Square again and the country may slide back into anarchy. “There is every possibility of a confrontation between the president and the ruling coalition led by Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party if Shafiq wins the election.
In such a scenario, the economic situation of Egypt would also have a negative impact,” he said while expressing hope that his people would choose Mursi as the next president.
54% Egyptian expats expected to vote in runoff
