Egypt’s parliamentary elections concluded Sunday with runoff voting in 27 constituencies across 10 governorates, where 98 candidates competed for 49 seats where first-round results were annulled in the first phase of the House of Representatives polls.
Like the first round in November, Sunday’s vote saw low turnout, continued voter busing, and fresh allegations of vote buying.
The initial phase had already been marred by irregularities—including missing vote counts and voter manipulation—before results in over two-thirds of constituencies were annulled by court and NEA rulings.
In Giza’s rerun, choreographed queues were gone, and turnout remained low, with reports of mobilization efforts and renewed complaints of vote buying, especially in Talbiya and Omraniya.
Boulaq's voter-mobilization battle
In Boulaq El-Dakrour, the runoff brought another day of voter-mobilization efforts as Nation’s Future Party candidate Hossam El-Mandouh faced off against Homeland Defenders Party’s Araby Ziyada for a single remaining seat. The two were left after independent Mohamed Ismail and Justice Party candidate Ali Khaled Khalifa secured the other seats in round one.
At Sheikha Gawaher School, turnout picked up midday with the arrival of microbuses marked “External bus… second day.” Outside, workers logged names and national ID numbers, handing voters plastic cards bearing polling details and the Egyptian flag. Some voters, holding up numbered cards, voiced support for their preferred candidate—Ziyada or El-Mandouh.
Banners linked El-Mandouh with first-round winners Ismail and Khalifa, while both camps quietly directed voters outside the polling station. Women and elderly voters made up most of Saturday’s turnout, while campaign materials were largely absent near polling stations, per regulations.
Inside, the mood was calmer. Only accredited agents were allowed in. A polling official told Al Manassa that turnout early Sunday was lower than the day before, when more than 600 of 10,500 registered voters cast ballots. Counting was set to begin after polls closed at 9 pm, with results passed from subcommittees to the general committee.
Clashes and vote buying
Tensions flared Sunday in the Omraniya–Talbiya constituency as supporters of Homeland Defenders Party candidate Mahmoud Lamloum clashed with backers of independent Gergis Lawendy outside Al-Seddik Primary School. The fight erupted over claims that Lawendy’s campaign was buying votes and transporting voters to polling stations. One of Lamloum’s supporters sustained a nose injury before local residents intervened. No police were present at the scene, according to an eyewitness.
The constituency is voting for a third time following annulled results, with four candidates vying for two seats. In addition to Lamloum and Lawendy, independent Sayed Zaghloul and former Nation’s Future MP Mohamed Ali Abdel Hamid are also in the race.
A local shopkeeper told Al Manassa that vote buying was rampant. “Everyone’s handing out money, some through charities, and Lawendy’s vote price has hit 300 pounds,” he said.
Al Manassa observed taxis shuttling voters to polling stations at multiple schools, while voter collection points dotted major streets. Despite widespread reports of vote buying, the Interior Ministry has not announced any arrests in Omraniya–Talbiya during the runoff—unlike the first round, when security forces intervened and made arrests over similar violations.
