General

Egypt holds historic elections

Vote is first step in tortuous path to democracy

Millions of Egyptians flocked to the polls on Monday in the first elections since former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February, the Financial Times reports. Many others chose to boycott the vote to protest the military’s refusal to let civilians manage the country’s path towards democracy and its violent crackdown of demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square last week that left 42 people dead. The recent protests, however, didn’t seem to hold back voters, who were queueing around the block on Monday morning in Cairo. They stand to choose among 50 parties and over 5,000 candidates who are competing to elect a constitutional assembly. Voting will continue for six weeks; results will be announced only after all ballots have been cast.

The Financial Times

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