Egyptian authorities said Sunday that they will not change the locations of polling stations near Cairo's Tahrir Square ahead of the parliamentary elections set to begin on Monday. Tahrir Square has been roiling with mass protests since Saturday of last week, demanding the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) hand over power to a civilian government. Sources at the high elections commission told Al-Masry Al-Youm last Saturday that polling units near Tahrir might be relocated if demonstrations were to resume. But a statement by Cairo Governorate, obtained by Al-Masry Al-Youm, said the stations will not be relocated, since army and police security has been strengthened in the area. All polling stations in Cairo, including those near the Interior Ministry, have finished preparing for the first post-Mubarak parliament elections, the statement added. The governorate prefers to keep the locations unchanged so as to facilitate voting for citizens and avoid confusion, said Cairo Governor Abdel Qawy Khalifa in a statement. The first phase of the elections will start Monday in nine governorates: Cairo, Alexandria, Fayoum, Assiut, Damietta, Kafr al-Sheikh, Matrouh, Port Said and Red Sea. The vote will extend through to Tuesday, with run-off elections for the first round set to take place on 5 and 6 December.
