By Maher Abbas
Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — Thousands of Egyptian expatriates cast their vote at their embassy here and their consulate in Jeddah, Friday.

About a million Egyptians abroad were registered to vote to elect a new president, and 262,000 Egyptians were eligible to vote at their mission in the Kingdom.

Representatives of leading candidates, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, Amr Moussa, Hamdeen Sabahi and Mohamed Mursi were present at the embassy overseeing the election process after a warning from Mahmoud Ouf, Egyptian Ambassador, that they should not be campaigning for their respective candidates on the embassy premises.

As the crowd swelled, the embassy set up additional booths — one for women and two for men — to facilitate smooth polling. The embassy and the consulate are also expected to receive votes by mail from Egyptians in all parts of the Kingdom.

The voters were allowed to cast their votes by showing their passports or copies thereof along with original residency permits.

With no obvious winner for now, Egyptian expatriates registered to vote in consulates between May 11 and 17 may help swing the election.