Egypt counts votes after poll
  • 12 years ago
A sit-in continues in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the day after voting closed in a landmark election.
After years of rigged polls, an unprecedented number of voters embraced the chance to have their say.
But many in Tahrir said the elections were not as free and fair as they could be.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MASS MEDIA RESEARCHER, NASSER MAHFUZ:
"There were obvious violations, but when they are reported to the concerned authorities such as the higher committee for elections or the armed forces, they do not respond."
Protesters here say they do not trust the military council, that has been in charge of Egypt since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, to run the elections.
But in the port city of Alexandria, voters backed the polls.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) COMMUTER, ABDEL AZIZ MOHAMED:
"After this revolution, I don't think things will be anything other than transparent. Everything will be transparent and I've felt a complete change in terms of these elections."
Vote counting has begun and early results indicate that the Muslim Brotherhood has secured around 40 percent of the vote.
The election takes place over three stages and ends in January.
Simon Hanna, Reuters.