Egypt's National Elections Authority (NEA) spokesperson Mahmoud El-Sherif said initial indications showed high voter turnout on the first day of Egypt's 2018 presidential elections, with the highest participation registered in Cairo, Alexandria, Giza, Qalubeya and Upper Egypt's governorates of Assiut and Aswan.

"The NEA indicated a very high turnout in North Sinai, despite the security situation. The governorate's residents challenged all conditions and delivered a very clear message to express their free will," El-Sherif said.

The spokesman affirmed the elections are being supervised by 18,000 judges and 110,000 administrative assistants in 13,706 polling stations in all 26 governorates across the country to guarantee the freedom and integrity of elections.

"Fifty-four local and nine international NGOs were authorized by the NEA to monitor the elections. We received very few complaints of denied entrance, and those which we did were due to NGO representatives' not having their NEA elections-coverage permits," the spokesman said.

"We worked swiftly to solve any obstacles and all NGO representatives were able to carry out their duties," he affirmed.

El-Sherif called on all citizens to turn out in large numbers for the elections and not to listen to calls to boycott from the "voices of negativity."
 

Read Ahram Online's blow by blow coverage of the vote