Throngs of Egyptian voters turned out in nine provinces on Wednesday in the country’s second round of parliamentary elections; the first since ex-President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February.
“This is the first time our vote counts,” Fatma Sayed, a voter in Suez, told Reuters. “We want to retain our rights.”
During the first round of voting, Islamist parties were heavily favored. The more moderate Muslim Brotherhood’s political party in Egypt took in around 47 percent of the vote while the conservative Salafi Al-Nour party received around 21 percent, according to Al-Jazeera. The more liberal Egyptian Bloc received 9 percent.
Just under 19 million Egyptians are eligible to cast their ballots over the next two days. Voters are choosing seats in the 498-member Lower House of Parliament.
The third and final round of voting will take place in early January. The presidential vote will not likely take place until mid-2012.
