Egyptians abroad will continue to vote for the presidential elections for the second day on Saturday and until Sunday, in 139 committees in consulates and embassies representing 124 Arab and foreign countries.
MP Tareq Radwan, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the parliament told Asharq Al-Awsat there are positive indicators on the first day of the vote, adding the electoral process is proceeding normally without any obstacles or complaints, with heavy turnout of voters.
Voting will take place in Egypt over three days from March 26-28 with two candidates, current president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and head of al-Ghad party Mousa Mustafa Mousa.
The government estimated the number of Egyptians living abroad to be at 9.4 million as the National Elections Authority (NEA) facilitated their process by approving voting via passport or national ID card to ensure wide participation.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid stated that Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri thanked the National Electoral Authority for its support to facilitate the procedures of abroad elections.
"The Foreign Minister directed heads of diplomatic missions and consulates abroad to supervise the electoral committees and provide facilities for the elderly and people with special needs," added Abu Zeid.
Head of NEA Lashin Ibrahim assured that the authority has not received any complaints about the voting process abroad in the presidential election that kicked off earlier Friday.
Ibrahim said in a statement the percent of the participation of Egyptians expatriates in the presidential elections is good, adding: "Egyptians lined up in front of the doors of embassies and consulates to cast their votes."
NEA spokesperson Mahmoud el-Sherif said Egyptian embassies abroad witnessed a huge turnout from each country's respective Egyptian community.
He also stated that the voting process is currently taking place in 118 countries, adding that the NEA has provided the polling stations abroad with additional laptops because of the huge turnout. Adding, in a press conference he held on Friday, the Egyptian law did not require that the Egyptian resident abroad to vote, and that if there was an issue, the voter can still cast his vote as long as they are tied to the voter database based on the national ID card, whether valid or expired, or passport provided that it is in force.
He pointed out that the Riyadh Committee in Saudi Arabia is using 26 tablets, Jeddah is using 24 tablets, Kuwait Committee is using 32 tablets and 16 tablets in Dubai, UAE.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hamdi Loza confirmed there are no obstacles to the voters in Qatar and Turkey, as some say, noting the Egyptian mission is constantly contacting the Qatari authorities.
During his speech at the National Assembly, Loza said that the Egyptian mission is in a compound away from the embassy, and the Qatari authorities responded to the requests by opening a side door to allow citizens to enter the mission building directly.
He stressed: "elections in Qatar and Turkey are conducted in cooperation with the local authorities, and there are no obstacles to the voters, and there is no reason preventing them exercising their constitutional right."
Gulf countries witnessed a wide participation of Egyptians' voters.
At the headquarters of the Egyptian Embassy in Riyadh and the General Consulate in Jeddah, members of the Egyptian community came to cast their votes on Friday.
Egypt's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Nasser Hamdy Zaghloul voted at the Committee's headquarters at the Egyptian Embassy in Riyadh.
He stressed that there is a large turnout of Egyptians residing in Saudi Arabia to vote in the presidential elections.
He pointed out that the intensity of the turnout shows the Egyptians' keenness to participate in the elections. The Egyptian ambassador thanked the Kingdom for providing full and necessary support for holding the elections.
Media adviser and vice president of the Egyptian community in Jeddah Mohammed Abu el-Aish pointed out that the turnout exceeded all expectations.
In Dubai, Egyptian ladies participated in the presidential election, especially at the General Consulate in Dubai
Wael Abdel Rahman, an Egyptian teacher, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he made sure he went to vote along with his whole family and the turnout was great. He praised the well organized elections which contributed to the increase in the number of voters, especially among elderly and people with special needs.
In Kuwait, the Egyptian ambassador Tariq al-Kouni lauded the voters' behavior of voters and their compliance to the rules set by the embassy during the electoral process.
Similarly, Egyptian Ambassador to Austria, Omar Amer, stressed that the Egyptian citizens were keen to exercise their constitutional right and participate in the elections in spite of bad weather conditions, adding that the number of voters was more than expected. He pointed out that the Egyptian Embassy in Vienna provided all means that would facilitate the process of election to citizens.
MP Mahmoud Hussein noted that the large crowds of Egyptians who rallied to vote in the presidential elections is a clear message to the world that Egyptians do not accept defeat.
