With a final turnout of less than twenty-six percent, voting for the first round of Egypt’s parliamentary elections ended on 28 October across fourteen governorates, including Giza, Alexandria, Suez and Fayoum. The poor election turnout came as a shock to many observers.
The ongoing elections are viewed as the third and final step of the transition “roadmap” that the current political leadership announced following the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi two years ago. Yet the majority of those interviewed for this story greeted the vote with a mix of indifference and skepticism.