JEDDAH — Egyptians in the Kingdom continued casting their ballots on the draft constitution for a second day Thursday. The Egyptian Consulate General in Jeddah opened its gates from 8 a.m. to give everyone the chance to vote. Postal voting also was also allowed during the four-day voting period. Egypt's Consul General Adel El-Alfy and his team interacted with the public at the main hall to ensure the process was going smoothly and also to listen to feedback. Voting will continue until Saturday. Out of approximately 8 million Egyptians abroad, only 586,000 registered to vote since the first parliament elections held last year following the Jan. 25 revolution in the country. Of them, 262,000 live in Saudi Arabia, the largest number bloc of Egyptians living abroad. At least 102,702 were registered in Jeddah, accounting for over a sixth of those who registered to vote. Only those who registered at the time of the parliament elections have the right to vote. El-Alfy said: “People flocked to the consulate since yesterday (Wednesday) morning and their numbers increased in the afternoon as most of the voters arrived after their working hours. “Today large numbers of people have come here since 8 a.m. as it is a weekend.” El-Alfy said the biggest problem the consulate encountered Wednesday was that some people came even though they were not registered as expatriates, yet registered back home. Others who had just turned 18 and were enthusiastic to vote were not eligible because they were underage during the registration period. Some of those who could not vote panicked but order was quickly restored, he said. Some voters turned up without identification, while others announced their choices to the public, considered a violation of polling station rules, so the consulate team advised them to keep their choices confidential. El-Alfy said: “As per the election commission's instructions, counting of votes will begin with the end of the fourth day of voting at 8 p.m. Saturday, and the results and documents will be sent back home to the committee on Tuesday morning.” The voting began amid continued protests back home in Egypt. Opposition campaigners called on supporters not to boycott voting but to vote “No” in the referendum on Wednesday. The consulate will continue to serve Egyptians for routine services on Saturday. It will be closed for vote counting on Sunday and Monday and reopen on Tuesday. Egyptian associations have organized voting courses for voters in need of help.
