Mervat Ezzat, 60, a housewife, continues, "These girls are our daughters and we know them. And the elections this year are a mess anyway. So it's very nice of them to help us in choosing what is best for the country."
Free vans to transport voters
Samar Ghanem, 25, a university student, adds another instrument to the list of methods used by Islamists to attract voters. According to her, the Freedom and Justice Party continues on a similar vein as the deposed National Democratic Party, providing trucks to transport housewives from her village Batnoun, in Shebeen El Kom district, to the polling stations. Upon arrival to the polling station, Ghanem says, the women are met by female members of the party, who hand out advice on how to vote, and most importantly who to vote for.
Fine forces women to vote
The voting fine played a role in forcing women voters to go out and vote. Sumaya El Ashmawy, 60, from the village of Batnoun reveals that she heard the mosque microphones transmitting messages that there is a fine of L.E. 500 for those who do not participate in the elections. "Therefore I had to come out and vote."
Sabah El Sayed, 40, confirms that the fine was the primary reason for her participation in elections; especially that it is now so high.
Women in niqab everywhere in Shebeen and their invitations occasionally fruitful
Women in niqabs stand everywhere on the periphery of polling stations in Shebeen El Kom.They are seen encouraging women to participate positively in the elections. This method was found to be occasionally effective as some women respond and end up participating according to Nadia Mustafa, an election monitor at an all-girls high school in Shebeen El Kom. Her colleague Tahany Mohamed Moussa adds that women in niqabs try to stay far from the polling station because they are afraid of the army. However, despite their distance, their efforts are often fruitful.
