CAIRO: At Al-Abageya in south Cairo, scores of schoolboys, ranging from 6 to 14 years old, were nimbly running in between cars to distribute flyers promoting candidates they say "would help their district".
Six-year-old, Islam Soliman, was with his father, who was giving out flyers for children to distribute outside a polling station in Matareya.
Soliman was “campaigning” for independent candidate Imam El Kerdasy.
“People take it to go do things inside,” he said.
“I heard good things about him,” said Ahmed Ibrahim, 11. “I want the country to be full of love and cooperation between people and he will do that.”
Ibrahim thinks these are the presidential elections.
The use of children, mostly boys, to distribute leaflets was witnessed in several lower-income districts mostly outside polling stations.
According to regulations set by the Supreme Electoral Commission, campaigning should stop 48 hours before election day.
Youssef Hussien, 13, believes he is helping the country by promoting a specific candidate.
Mohamed Atef and his friend Abdel Moneim, 10, would smoothly convince passersby to vote for the candidate and the party they are promoting.
Abdel Moniem, who wants to be a scientist when he grows up, said he prefers the candidate he was promoting because "he is one of them".
"He was poor like us then he became rich and I am sure he will help us; he is a good guy," he said.
Their other friend Samy, who is a talented soccer player as his friends say, said that he is helping the entire fourth constituency which is allocated in South Cairo by convincing voters to vote for that specific candidate.
Too young to vote, they said they were happy to contribute to the elections in their own way.
The group of boys in Al-Abagya brushed off questions on whether they are getting paid for their services. They stressed that they only want a better future which is why they are promoting candidates they like. Each one was promoting a different candidate.
"I want the country to be better," Hussien said.
He said he goes regularly to Tahrir Square, despite his young age, to support protesters there.
"I chant with them for a better Egypt," he added.
On the other hand, Atef and Abdel Moniem criticized Tahrir protesters saying that they are clashing with the army which they like.
Smiling, they promised to study hard so “when [they] grow up [they] would be informed voters”.
