CAIRO: Giza voters queued outside polling stations early Wednesday morning to cast their ballots in one of the most vital electoral constituencies in the second round of Egypt’s staggered parliamentary elections.
Prominent politicians are spearheading party lists, turning the elections into a race between public figures rather than political affiliations.
Essam El-Erian, vice president of the Freedom and Justice Party and veteran member of the Muslim Brotherhood, tops the Democratic Alliance’s electoral list in Giza’s first constituency, which includes Atfih, Boulaq El-Dakrour, Al-Omrania and El-Hawamdia.
The Salafi Al-Nour Party, which came second after the FJP in the first phase raking in 24.4 percent of the list votes, is banking on the popularity of Salafi preacher Mohamed Abdel Wahab Al-Kordy in the first Giza constituency.
Al-Kordy, who heads the party’s list, is a preacher at Al-Rahma Mosque, a Salafi stronghold. He is also one of the founders of the religious TV channel Al-Hekma.
Romany Khalifa, the only Copt topping an electoral list in Giza, is running on the Reform and Development Party’s list.
Nine party lists are vying for 10 seats in Giza’s first constituency.
In Giza’s second constituency in the south, the FJP and Al-Nour are engaged in a heated race between their star candidates.
Kamal Abou-Eita, the veteran labor leader and member of Al-Karama Party, is third on the FJP’s Democratic Alliance list which is topped by Helmy Al-Gazzar, prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Shoura council.
Adel Al-Azazy, a senior Salafi leader, tops Al-Nour party’s list in the same constituency.
Former national team goalkeeper Nader El-Sayed leads El-Wasat Party’s list in the same constituency. The centrist party, whose founder left the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1990s, hopes to make use of El-Sayed’s popularity as an athlete and as one of the prominent Tahrir Square protesters during the 18-day uprising.
Al-Wafd Party fielded Safir Nour, former board member of Al-Ahly sports club, on top of its list in the second constituency.
Thirteen party lists are vying for 10 seats in this constituency, which includes Imbaba, Dokki, Sixth of October, the Bahariya Oases, and El-Warraq.
The governorate is divided into five single winner constituencies, with heated races in all of them.
In the fourth constituency for individual candidates culture icon Mohamed El-Sawy is supported by the FJP. The founder of the independent cultural center Sakkiet El Sawy, is facing competition from Islam Lofty, the co-founder of the El-Tayar El-Masry Party, which splintered off from the MB after the uprising.
The constituency includes Sixth of October and El-Baharia Oasis.
In the third constituency, which includes Imbaba, Dokki and Agouza, several renowned politicians and activists are running.
Political analyst and president of the Alternatives Forum, Amr El-Chobaky, is contesting the professionals single-winner seat. He’s facing two youth leaders, Amr Ezz and Abdel-Rahman Haridy. The latter, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood, recently participated in a televised debate with fellow candidate Ahmed Mortada Mansour, the son of infamous lawyer Mortada Mansour, on trial for involvement in the attack on Tahrir protesters on Feb. 2.
Amr Ezz is member of the April 6 Youth movement’s Democratic Front splinter group and a leading revolutionary youth.
In the fifth constituency, Khaled Telima, journalist at Al-Ahaly newspaper of the leftist Al-Tagammu Party, is running for the professionals single-winner seat as an independent.
Telima is the general secretary of the Progressive Youth Union and member of the Revolution Youth Coalition.
The Giza governorate will be represented in the PA by 20 party lists seats and 10 single-winner seats.
The governorate has 4.2 million eligible voters.
