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Egypt voter turnout huge but peaceful
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CBC News
Egypt's massive voter turnout continued Tuesday as citizens peacefully exercised their right to choose a government for the first time since Hosni Mubarak's government was ousted during the so-called Arab Spring uprisings across the Middle East.
The head of Egypt's election committee said there were no exact figures on voter turnout Monday, but it was high enough for him to order polling stations to stay open an extra two hours, Reuters reported.
The process came after weeks of protests in which 42 people were killed, leading to fears there would be violence at the polls. Instead, the process has been reported to be the fairest and cleanest in memory.
"I think it's an important step," Rawya Gamal, a polling station volunteer, told Reuters television. "And to see so many women just walk out and just stand for seven and eight hours and determined they are not going to leave, they are going to vote, because the longer they stayed, and the more problems we had inside, the more determined people were to stay and vote. And that, I think, that's just fantastic."
He continued: "And I was talking to one of the policemen, and he said in 13 years of monitoring ... elections, he's never seen so many women."
It remains to be seen, however, whether the country will remain secular or turn down a more Islamic path as have other nations swept up in the Arab Spring.
"I am voting for this country's sake," said Zeinab Saad, 50, who brought her young daughter to a polling station in Cairo. "We want a new beginning. It's a great thing to feel like your vote matters."
Long, complicated process
Trading on the Egyptian stock market was suspended Tuesday after the benchmark stock index rose more than five per cent on optimism about the economy after the voting process is complete.
The voting process, long and complicated, is spread over the next six weeks across 27 provinces, divided into thirds with run-offs held a week after the first round in each location.
Voters have to pick two individuals and one alliance or party slate — a mechanism that has left many among the 50 million eligible voters puzzled and apparently still undecided.
While the overwhelming majority spoke with excitement over getting to cast their ballots, a few headed to the polls to avoid an onerous $86 fee imposed by the ruling military on absent voters. In some of the country's populous districts, younger voters dragged their elders to ensure they would not have to pay the fine.
The election has already been overshadowed by turmoil in the streets over the past week, and the population is sharply polarized and confused over the nation's direction. Still, the vote promises to be the fairest and cleanest election in Egypt in living memory.
The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and best organized group, along with its Islamist allies are expected to do well in the vote, which has been a source of concern for secular and liberal Egyptians who fear the Brotherhood will try to implement a strict version of Islamic law in the country.
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