Egyptians holding national flags smile and pose as they arrive to cast their votes for the presidential election at the Egyptian embassy in Riyadh yesterday.
DPA/Cairo
Egyptians abroad started voting yesterday in their country’s first presidential elections since the military deposed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi nearly a year ago.
Around 680,000 Egyptians in 124 countries have registered to vote and have until Sunday to cast their ballots at diplomatic missions in their countries of residence, state media reported.
New Zealand was the first country where Egyptians began voting, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
In a move aimed at encouraging a high turnout, the election commission said recently that all Egyptians abroad, including those on temporary visits, have the right to vote without registering in advance.
Ex-army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi and leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahy are the only contenders in the elections due to be held at home on May 26-27.
Final results are officially to be announced on June 5.
Al-Sissi, who led the army’s July overthrow of Mursi, is expected to win. His supporters see him as able to end the turmoil that has gripped Egypt for more than three years.