Feature: Egyptians flock to ballots to choose president

by Ahmed Shafiq

CAIRO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Voters flocked Monday to polling stations across Egypt to choose a new president for the next four years, with an expected easy win for incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

Polls opened at 9 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on the first of three days of voting.

Since early hours of the morning, voters lined up in front of ballot stations that were heavily guarded by army and police personnel.

According to state TV, Sisi cast his vote in Cairo.

Sisi's sole rival in the presidential race is little-known politician Moussa Mostafa Moussa, Chairman of liberal Ghad Party, after a couple of possible strong challengers have either withdrawn or disqualified for violations.

The election result will be announced on April 2, according to the National Election Authority.

The majority of voters, mostly old men and women, revealed they have or will vote for President Sisi for the "achievements he made" in his first term as president.

Outside the polling stations, voters celebrated as they danced and waved national flags amid a joyful atmosphere.

"I have already voted for Sisi because I believe he really deserves to be the president of Egypt," Mohga Haikal, a woman in her fifties, told Xinhua outside a ballot station in Cairo's upscale Maadi district.

The lady, who was joined by her friends, urged the Egyptians to participate in the elections, no matter who they might choose.

"Taking part in the elections is a national duty that will help us build a better Egypt," she said.

Egypt has over 59 million eligible voters out of the country's 104 million population. A week ago, the country wrapped up the voting process of Egyptian expatriates in 124 countries across the world.

There are some 13,706 polling stations held at schools nationwide, with about 18,000 judges overseeing the voting process that is also monitored by at least 53 local organizations and nine international ones, besides more than 680 foreign reporters.

At Hadayek al-Maadi polling station in Maadi district, the voting process went smooth as dozens of voters cast their ballots during the very first minutes of the initial elections day.

"The turnout is really promising and everything is going smooth," Judge Yossif Jamal, head of Hadayek al-Maadi polling station, told Xinhua.

He stressed that the army and police have tightened security measures around polling stations to ensure a safe atmosphere for voters, expecting that more voters will approach the station later in the day.

On Sunday, the Egyptian army announced the deployment of troopers to secure polling stations across the country, while Interior Ministry said it has provided hotlines to receive the inquiries of voters about addresses of polling stations and resolve any other issues they may face during the voting process.

Hours before the election kicked off, the police announced the killing of six terrorists during a raid in Beheira province north of the capital Cairo.

The interior ministry said the terrorist cell was involved in Saturday's car bomb attack in the nearby coastal province of Alexandria that killed two policemen and wounded at least four others.

Terror activities in Egypt have killed hundreds of security men and civilians since the military toppled Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Brotherhood group.

"I came here today to vote against terrorism...voting for Sisi means voting against terrorism," Ahmed Saleh, a lawyer, told Xinhua.

Saleh said he voted for Sisi because he exerted great efforts in fighting terrorism which killed hundreds of Egyptians over the past few years. Enditem