On the final day of Egypt’s Senate elections, vote-buying and the orchestration of artificial crowds once again marred the process, as documented by Al Manassa reporters in several Cairo neighborhoods, including Maadi, Dar Al-Salam, and Zamalek.
As 9 pm rolled on Tuesday night, polling stations for Egypt’s Senate elections closed their doors. According to the official timeline set by the National Election Authority, preliminary results are expected by Aug. 12. A runoff, if necessary, is scheduled for Aug. 25 and 26 for Egyptians abroad and Aug. 27 and 28 domestically. Final results will be announced on Sept. 4.
In Nasr City, large banners for the Nation’s Future Party decorated the entrance of Salah El-Din School, which housed a polling station. Party-affiliated organizers, easily identifiable by branded vests, directed foot traffic and managed queues, while unmarked individuals sat nearby observing. Most of those present were older voters and women.
“I came so I wouldn’t have to pay the fine for not voting,” said 74-year-old Hassan Ibrahim. “I waited about an hour because they let in one person at a time, even though the polling station inside was empty,” he added, indicating a clear desire to create the impression of a high turnout.
Al Manassa also observed dozens gathered outside polling stations without entering. One woman, whose voter registration was in another governorate, said she came simply “to support Egypt.” Another added, “My ID is from Fayoum, but I’m here to support the state, the party, and the president.”
The crowd outside the polling stations also included voters waiting for a promised payout. A woman who had already cast her ballot said she had been waiting for hours for a coupon promised by a party representative.
Pointing to others seated nearby who were also waiting, she said, “We’re each supposed to get 300 pounds ($6).”
Similar scenes unfolded in Mokattam, particularly outside Omar Abdel Aziz School. Banners for the Nation’s Future and Homeland Defenders parties were prominently displayed, while individuals wearing vests with the logos of both parties—as well as some without any affiliation—were also present.
Scenes in Mokattam resembled those in Nasr City, with staged crowding and voting in exchange for coupons, according to five voters who spoke with Al Manassa, who said the value of the coupons ranged from 200 to 500 Egyptian pounds ($4-$10).
One woman said she received a phone call from a local government employee urging her to vote and bring her sister, who has a disability. “She said if my sister votes, the Ministry of Social Solidarity will deposit a payment as disability aid.”
At Abu Al-Farag Primary School in Bulaq Abu El-Ela, Al Manassa witnessed crowds queueing outside without entering polling rooms. Organizers instructed them to form lines, reportedly because a “VIP” was expected to tour the site.
After voting, national ID cards were collected and sent to a nearby office labeled “Social Charity Association,” where men and women lined up separately to exchange their voucher stubs for 200-pound payments.
In Downtown Cairo, outside Qasr Al-Dobara School on Kasr Al-Ainy Street, campaigners from the Nation’s Future Party were seen wearing branded vests and hoisting party flags directly in front of polling stations.
Egyptians abroad voted Friday and Saturday across 136 embassies and consulates worldwide, while the two-day domestic elections commenced Monday.
On the first day of elections, the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights released a statement citing numerous violations, including vote-buying through coupons and direct cash payments near polling stations, as well as campaign activities that breached regulations.
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.
