The decision by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb to declare Tuesday an official vote holiday for state employees was met with controversy by many.
Many felt that Meheb's intention to increase an already low turnout at the polls came contrary to what he and the two presidential candidates had previously argued regarding the need to work harder in order to achieve the goals of the revolution as voters chose to spend that day at home.
The decision was also met with severe condemnation within economic circles. Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University Alia Mahdi said the decision cost the state treasury more than LE2 billion.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
