Cash coupons dominate first day of Egypt's Senate election

As Egypt’s Senate elections opened Monday, party-affiliated organizers were quick to promote narratives of high voter engagement. But Al Manassa’s field reporting from Maadi, Dar Al-Salaam, and Zamalek revealed a quieter, more telling reality. Polling stations were largely deserted, and the most consistent incentive for participation appeared to be the distribution of cash coupons to voters.

According to the schedule set by the National Elections Authority, the vote concludes Tuesday. Results are to be announced Aug. 12. A runoff, if needed, is set for Aug. 25 and 26 for Egyptians abroad and Aug. 27 and 28 domestically. Final results are expected Sept. 4.

Empty polls, crowded sidewalks

Outside the Al-Gomhouria Official School polling station in Maadi, volunteers in vests bearing the logos of the Nation’s Future and the National Front helped direct voters and assisted with online polling location lookups. Others wore vests emblazoned with the “Haya Karima” (Decent Life) foundation.

Large groups of young men from working-class neighborhoods loitered around the polling station, chatting in groups and riding motorcycles. Despite the apparent buzz outside, the voting rooms themselves were nearly empty.

Organizers appeared eager to present a facade of high turnout. Outside the Maadi school, they herded voters into two separate lines for men and women, using a metal fence to regulate entry in limited numbers. Inside, however, the ballot boxes sat largely untouched.

One voter, Mona Eid, 31, arrived at 6 am from Al-Teraa Street in Zahraa Al‑Maadi hoping to cast her ballot early. She pleaded with organizers to skip the queue, fearing for her infant’s safety amid the crowd. 

Eventually admitted, she soon exited without voting, having learned her designated polling place was at the nearby Martyr Nabil Abdel Khaleq School.

“I wish I hadn’t come. I’ve been here since six in the morning to vote and get the coupon for 300 pounds,” she told Al Manassa. She added that a neighborhood girl had mistakenly given her the wrong polling information, assuring her the coupon would be distributed at the Maadi school and that she could return to her to redeem the money.

Mona was further dismayed when she saw a neighbor exit the polling station, coupon in hand, having cast her vote successfully.

Cash for crowds

Following the neighbor’s lead, Al Manassa traced the exchange of cash coupons to a small marquee that organizers had set up near the Khashm Al-Mous Pasha Mosque, adjacent to the Maadi Metro wall, where voters confirmed they received 300 pounds ($6) upon presenting the coupon.

In Dar Al-Salam, a similar scene unfolded at a school complex housing the Farouk, Ahmed Zewail, and Mohamed Naguib schools. Outside, groups of women sat along the sidewalks while young men clustered nearby.

One woman told Al Manassa she had been waiting since 7 am despite having already voted. “They told me to wait here for half an hour for the coupon. It’s been three hours,” she said. 

However, others were luckier. One such person was Saad Abdel Hady, who said he received a 200-pound coupon from a young man inside Ahmed Zewail School after voting.

Abdel Hady, 83, a recipient of the government-run Takaful pension, said he had received a call the day before by a member of the Nation’s Future Party who urged him to vote, warning that his pension could be affected otherwise.

The caller also promised a 200-pound coupon redeemable at a charity affiliated with Malik Al-Mulk Mosque in Dar Al-Salam.

Elderly voters queued outside the mosque’s charity office, where young men with unclear affiliations coordinated the payout. Al Manassa observed them instructing voters to prepare their IDs and coupons before receiving 200 pounds each.

Outside Ahmed Zewail School, Al Manassa interviewed a man distributing the coupons. He identified himself as a member of the Nation’s Future Party and said the payout had increased from 200 to 300 pounds by midday to attract more voters.

“I alone handed out around 400 coupons across three polling stations in the morning,” he said, requesting anonymity. “They just wanted a photo op today with crowded polling stations. I don’t think they’ll continue tomorrow.”

In Zamalek, however, the cash coupon was nowhere to be found. Instead, other familiar campaign elements were evident, with supporters of the Nation’s Future Party gathered outside the Helwan University Faculty of Fine Arts, waving Egyptian and party flags.

Security was heavy outside the polling station, where the only visible signs of campaigning were for the Nation’s Future Party. Young supporters periodically grouped for photos and were offered food and mangoes by party affiliates.

Egyptians abroad voted Friday and Saturday across 136 embassies and consulates worldwide, while domestic voting continues through Tuesday.

The Senate comprises 300 members — 200 elected and 100 appointed by the President. Half of the elected seats are contested individually in 27 districts, and the other half are filled through four closed party lists. Women are guaranteed at least 10% of the total seats.

On July 10, the National Elections Authority announced the closure of the nomination window, with 469 candidates registered for individual races. For the party-based seats, only the National Unified List for Egypt submitted nominations; a list dominated by the pro-government Nation’s Future Party, which put forward over 40 candidates.