The talking heads were scrambling last night to assess voter turnout during the first day of the presidential election, leaving no room for any other topics on the airwaves.

Although none had exact figures, most talk show hosts described turnout as “reasonable” or “average.” Cabinet spokesman Ashraf Sultan told Yahduth fi Masr’s Sherif Amer that initial numbers give reason to be optimistic about how the elections are faring (watch, runtime: 3:00). National Elections Authority spokesman Mahmoud Al Sherif was slightly more conservative, describing turnout as “satisfactory” (watch, runtime: 5:47). He urged citizens to continue heading to the polls, which saw the highest number of voters in Cairo on the first day (watch, runtime: 22:52). Mubarak-era prime minister Kamal El Ganzoury also called on everyone to go out and vote (watch, runtime: 3:47).

Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Soliman Wahdan guesstimated that 14% of voters headed to the polls yesterday, telling Masaa DMC’s Eman El Hosary that his crystal ball suggests that 25 mn out of 59 mn eligible voters will participate in the elections by the end of Wednesday (watch, runtime: 8:58). Judge Al Sayed Hamed told Al Hayah Al Youm’s Khaled Abu Bakr that Alexandrians are doing “okay” in terms of turnout (watch, runtime: 5:51). State Lawsuits Authority Club head Ahmed Khalifa forecasted total turnout to hover at 10-15%, noting that the global average rate rarely exceeds 20-30% (watch, runtime: 2:29). Kol Youm’s Amr Adib also kept his cool while discussing the topic, reminding his viewers that neither the presence nor lack of long queues at polling stations is an indicator of how many people cast their votes (watch, runtime: 3:57).

Hona Al Asema’s Lamees Al Hadidi was particularly impressed by the number of voters in North Sinai’s Sheikh Zuweid (watch, runtime: 5:42), while National Council for Women head Maya Morsi was beaming with pride over women’s participation across the country (watch, runtime: 4:01).

Overall, the first day of voting went smoothly. Administrative Prosecution Club spokesman Ahmed Galal reported to Hona Al Asema that the club did not receive any complaints on the electoral process, despite judges supervising polling stations taking a one-hour break in the middle of the day (watch, runtime: 2:35). Media coverage was also smooth and no journalists filed grievances, according to Journalists Syndicate President Abdel Mohsen Salama (watch, runtime: 2:44).

Some observers reported a handful of legal violations during the vote. A member of Tunisian association Atide, which specializes in ensuring the integrity and democracy of elections, said she witnessed violations in Fayoum, including breaking the electoral silence and a lack of privacy while voters were casting their ballots in some polling stations. She attributed these violations to Egypt’s nascent democratic experience (watch, runtime: 3:18). Head of Greece-based EKO, Kitty Panourgia, also voiced concerns about a lack of privacy at some booths (watch, runtime: 4:54).