Egyptian voters in Jordan want security, stability in their country

AMMAN –– Restoring security in Egypt is the main concern Egyptian expatriates had when they visited their embassy in Amman on Friday to cast their vote in their country’s presidential election. 

Gathering outside the embassy after they cast their ballots, dozens of Egyptians chanted slogans in support of presidential candidate Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, the former army chief who ousted president Mohamed Morsi last year in response to popular protests against the Islamist leader.

“I came to vote for Sisi and I hope that stability in the country will be restored so that my family and I can go back home,” Ahmad Saad told The Jordan Times outside the embassy. 

The Egyptian, who works in Madaba, said he came to cast his vote at 9am.

Mustafa Al Saeed, who has been working in Jordan for more than 25 years, said he wants the next president to preserve the security of his country. 

“Egypt was renowned for its security and I hope that this will be the case once again,” he said. 

“I was not satisfied with Morsi’s rule because he did not implement any of the promises he made. Also, he was not the one who ruled; the Muslim Brotherhood was ruling the country at the time,” Saeed charged.

Egyptians from across the Kingdom began heading to their embassy in Amman to cast their votes last Thursday. 

The voting continues until Sunday from 9am to 9pm, Egyptian Ambassador Khaled Tharwat said. 

Out-of-country voting will continue until Sunday in over 100 embassies across the world, Tharwat told The Jordan Times in an interview at the embassy on Friday.  

In Egypt, the presidential election is slated for May 26-27.

There are around 300,000 Egyptians in Jordan, according to the embassy, while unofficial estimates put the figure at 700,000.

“A great number of people have been coming to the embassy to vote. Around 2,050 voted on the first day, which is much higher than in the entire period of the pervious presidential election,” Tharwat said, noting around 1,300 Egyptians residing in Amman voted in the 2012 election.

“The number is high this year because Egyptians are aware of the importance of taking part to build the future of Egypt,” the diplomat noted, thanking the Jordanian authorities for providing security to ensure a smooth voting process.

The number of voters is high in other Arab countries as well, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, he added. 

On Saturday, Egypt’s electoral committee decided to extend out of country voting for another 24 hours, to conclude on Monday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Judeh Hassan, who came to the embassy with his wife and four children, said he wants the next president to unite all Egyptians.

“This is the first time in my life that I have voted. Prices are high in Egypt and I hope that the financial situation will improve because eventually we will go back home,” he added.