Egyptians abroad start voting in presidential election

Egyptians living abroad began voting at diplomatic missions worldwide Friday in what is considered the nation's first free and fair presidential election in modern history.

Voters in 166 nations have until May 17th to cast their ballots at the nearest consulate or embassy, according to the country's election committee.

There are 586,914 Egyptians living abroad who are expected to participate in the elections, said Ahmed Ragheb, the deputy foreign minister.

About half of them live in Saudi Arabia, followed by Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the United States, and Canada.

Some consulates are using new technology to match registered voters' information.

"We are using barcodes on national identification cards to match up with lists we have," Egyptian ambassador to the U.S., Sameh Shokri, said in a statement to Egyptian media.

Twelve candidates are running in Egypt's presidential elections, which will be held in the country on May 23 and May 24. One candidate, who was officially listed, recently withdrew from the race.

Two of the main candidates faced off in a debate, the first in the country's history.

Moderate Abdelmonen Abol Fotoh and former Arab League chief Amre Moussa had it at each other as millions nationwide remained glued to their TV screens for more than three hours.

"It was really exciting to see the debate. It only confirmed my thoughts that Amre Moussa is the one to vote for," said Ahmed Tayyeb, an Egyptian living in Atlanta. continue reading