CAIRO
The Egyptian authorities could collect up to 13.5 billion Egyptian pounds (roughly $1.9 billion) if they make good on their warning to impose a fine of 500 Egyptian pounds (around $71) on Egyptians who fail to cast ballots in ongoing presidential elections, according to a tally conducted by Anadolu Agency.
In the last presidential election two years ago, which brought ousted president Mohamed Morsi to power, turnout stood at 51 percent of Egypt's 54 million eligible voters.
If the same turnout rate is achieved in this year's poll, it would mean that around 27 million eligible voters failed to vote, entitling the authorities to collect a total of some 13.5 billion Egyptian pounds from non-voters.
The warning is hardly new. Egypt's electoral commission has warned in past polls and referendums that it would enforce a clause in the elections law calling for fines on non-voters.
The warning, however, has never been put into action.
Yet a lower-than-expected turnout in the first two days of voting prompted electoral officials to return to the same tactic in hopes of pushing voters to go to the polls.
The new president will take over from interim president Adly Mansour, who was installed by the army following Morsi's ouster and imprisonment almost 11 months ago.
Former defense minister Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi – who led the army's ouster of Morsi last July – is vying for the presidency against leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, who came third in the 2012 polls that propelled Morsi to power.
Al-Sisi is widely expected to sweep the vote.
Observers say Egypt's interim authorities are now faced with the challenge of drawing a greater number of voters than that seen in the 2012 polls – which established Morsi as the country's first freely elected leader – in order to give the new president legitimacy.
In a bid to encourage voters to cast ballots, the Egyptian government declared Tuesday, the second day of voting, an official holiday. The gesture, however, failed to boost turnout.
In a last-ditch effort, the electoral commission extended the vote, which kicked off Monday and had originally been scheduled to end on Tuesday, by an extra day.
Commission Secretary-General Abdel-Aziz Salman said the panel had decided to extend the vote to Wednesday to "allow the largest number of voters, including those living outside their home provinces, to cast ballots."
Objections to the decision – which were filed by both presidential contenders – were rejected by the electoral commission.
By Islam Mosaad
http://www.aa.com.tr/en
