CAIRO: A poll conducted by the Egyptian Union for Human Rights found that 67 percent of Egypt's Copts will refrain from voting in the upcoming parliamentary elections in November, while only 23 percent said they will vote. The poll, conduced from Sept. 20-Oct. 20, covered the eight governorates of Cairo, Alexandria, Beni Suef, Minya, Fayoum, Sohag, Assuit and Giza, with a sample of 40,000, including 5,000 Copts from each governorate. The Union said in a statement that Copts expected to win no more than 1.5 percent of the parliamentary seats, the same percentage that Copts received in the past six parliamentary elections. The poll also foresaw the winning of two Copts with the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party list, two with Al-Wafd, three with the Free Egyptians Party, and one Copt contesting an individual seat. The poll also showed differences in the attitudes of voters in the various governorates, with voting supported by 50 percent of the Cairo sample, 60 percent of Giza, 40 percent in Alexandria, 30 percent in Beni Suef, 30 percent in Sohag, 10 percent in Minya and 10 percent in Fayoum. The union's executive director Naguib Gobrael told Daily News Egypt that the poll results show a decline in Copts' willingness to vote, a stark drop from their 80 percent participation in the referendum on constitutional amendments in 2006. "The projected weak participation reflects a feeling of depression and insecurity by Copts, due to repeated attacks on them since the uprising," he added.
