CAIRO: In spite of concerns about securing the ballots overnight during a two-day vote, political parties and observers said there were no complaints or reports of violations.
Each of the three phases of the elections takes place over two days, stoking concerns about the security and the integrity of the process. It means ballots won’t be counted immediately after the vote ends and would stay overnight without the same daytime, direct supervision of monitors and party representatives.
The head of the Supreme Electoral Committee said on Monday that strict measures would be applied to secure the ballot boxes overnight. State TV showed footage of judges sealing ballot boxes and registry documents. The SEC said boxes in each polling station would be put in one room that would be sealed and protected by military forces throughout the night.
"We alerted the SEC in this regard and demanded heavy security of the ballots and guarantees that no one would come close to it," said Nabil Zaki, spokesman of the leftist Al-Tagammu Party, pointing out that the party’s candidates have no complaints regarding the way ballots were protected.
Young member of the Salafi Al-Nour Party for example, set all-night shifts to protect the ballots.
"Our youth secured the polling stations in the entire governorates of the first stage of elections and we did not receive any complaints regarding the securing process," said Yousri Hammad, spokesman of the Al-Nour.
He told Daily News Egypt that he believes that the army and the SEC are eager to let the electoral process flow without a single suspicion of fraud.
"I think this time the elections will be a good and fruitful experience that would help avoid mistakes in upcoming ones," he added.
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Egyptian soldiers carry a ballot box at the end of the first day of voting in Cairo’s Shubra neighbourhood on November 28, before a second round of voting the following day. (AFP Photo / STR)
