Egypt’s talking heads have a message for you: tens of mns are voting in constitutional referendum
The second day of voting on the proposed constitutional amendments was by far the most popular topic on the airwaves last night. What the TV media is trying to tell you: The referendum has seen “unusually high turnout” (the phrase cropped up multiple times).
The final voting day for Egyptian expats was a “huge success,” Al Hayah Al Youm said (watch, runtime: 1:36). After airing a camera shot of expats dancing outside an Egyptian diplomatic outpost, the TV program broadcast a short motion picture of an Egyptian child raised abroad urging voters to turn out.
Electoral officials are counting expat votes and the final result is expected out on Friday or Saturday, El Hekaya’s Amr Adib said (watch, runtime: 4:30). “We cannot say there was a weak turnout on the second day,” he added, saying the large communities of Egyptians living abroad are not to be taken lightly (watch, runtime: 4:30).
Due to high turnout, polls will stay open during the 3-4pm rest hour on this third and final voting day, National Elections Commission Vice President Mahmoud El Sherif said, according to Masaa DMC’s Eman El Hosary (watch, runtime: 2:47). The commission denied rumors it will extend voting for a fourth day.
In keeping up with tradition, Adib drifted off on a tangent. He highlighted Banque du Caire Chairman and CEO Tarek Fayed recent announcement about the bank’s planned 20-30% stake IPO (watch, runtime: 2:19). We had the full story in yesterday’s issue.