Fewer than 200 Egyptians cast ballots in Washington on the first two days of voting for the new president, out of 6,267 voters registered in the capital, Egyptian Ambassador to US Sameh Shoukry said.
Shoukry attributed the low turnout to people living outside the capital relying on voting by mail.
“The embassy expects to start receiving ballots by mail on Monday,” he said.
Egyptians in Egypt will vote on 23 and 24 May in the first post-Mubarak presidential election. Expatriates started voting on Friday and will continue until 17 May.
Four million out of an estimated 8 million Egyptians living abroad are eligible for voting, but just over 500,000 have registered to vote.
Some voters said there was an absence of observers from the Egyptian community or civil society organizations to monitor the voting process at the Washington embassy polling station. Shoukry said the embassy is committed to relevant instructions of the Presidential Elections Commission, however, and that it welcomes any observers approved by the commission.
Shoukry added that the number of registered Egyptian voters in the US is 29,000, an increase of 7,000 compared to parliamentary elections.
In the US voting is taking place at the embassy in Washington and four consulates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. If needed, a runoff vote will take place from 3 to 9 June.
Edited translation from MENA
