Presidential election kicks off, poll proceeding “satisfactorily”: Expats cast their ballots at 116 polling stations in Egyptian embassies and consulates in 124 countries worldwide, with no major incidents to report, the spokesperson for the National Elections Commission (NEC) Mahmoud El Sherif told reporters yesterday. He added that Saturday, the second day of voting, was “good” and “satisfactory.” Turnout appears to have been heavies in the GCC, El Sherif suggested, but stopped short of saying how many voters had gone to the polls. Today will be the third and last day of voting for Egyptians living abroad, with elections in Egypt set to take place on 26 March.

The election is the top story on Egypt in the international press this morning. News wires have been noting how uneventful the polls were, interspersed with comments from Egyptians abroad on their views of the elections. Reuters and others carry comment from some boycotting the polls. The newswire also noted criticism from rights gourds of what they say is a crackdown on the media in the run-up to the election. A Washington Post oped by Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies director Bahey Eldin Hassan is getting plenty of attention, as is a piece by D Parvaz for Think Progress. Coverage from the GCC, including in the National and Al Arabiya, was more friendly, focusing on high voter turnout.