Egypt to hold elections in Sinai despite turmoil

By Viola Fahmy

CAIRO

Egypt will hold presidential elections in the Sinai Peninsula next month despite ongoing unrest in the restive area, according to the country’s electoral commission.

Local media cited commission spokesman Mahmoud al-Sherif as saying the polls will be held in March as scheduled in the Sinai Peninsula.

“Certain security measures will be imposed during the vote, particularly in North Sinai,” al-Sherif said on Monday.

He said the commission “gives a priority to the safety of those responsible for the ballot and voters despite the war on terrorism”.

Only two candidates, incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and liberal candidate Musa Mustafa Musa, are running in the vote, slated for March 26-28.

One month ahead of the vote, Egyptian authorities launched a major security operation in Sinai against militants blamed for a string of attacks across the country.

The Sinai Peninsula has remained the epicenter of a militant insurgency since 2013, when the army ousted Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt's first freely elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader -- in a military coup.