Egypt Votes for New Senate Amid Pandemic Fears

Egyptians are voting for a 300-seat senate this week, after last year’s referendum consolidated the power of President Abul-Fattah al-Sissi and established the new legislative body, in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.

Before the vote, authorities assured voters that all safety precautions would be in place to prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.

The number of COVID-19 cases is still rising in Egypt, but at a considerably slower pace than in recent weeks, in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.

Some Egyptians worry that masks and sanitizers at the polls won’t be enough to prevent a resurgence of the virus in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.

Analysts say the two-day vote appears not to have drawn large crowds because of virus fears and general apathy over the election, in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.

Women work on election duties in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020. The new senate will have 200 elected members, and 100 appointed directly by the president. Results are expected August 19.

Some young men say "brokers" pay them to sit outside polls, presumably to create the appearance of greater youth participation in the election, in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.

At the polls, lawyer Mostafa Hefny comments on what he expects to be a lackluster turn out of young voters, saying, “Most of them don't understand the role of the senate or how it will benefit them,” in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.

Popular Egyptian pop singers Hamo Bika, left, and Mahmoud El-Leisy, right, tour polling stations to encourage people to vote, in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.

Turnout appeared to be low on the first day of the two-day vote, and photographers were banned from many polling stations in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.