CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) is competing for all eight individual seats in the run-offs in the Delta governorate of Sharqiya, where 3.5 million people are eligible to vote. Run-offs kicked off Wednesday in the four individual constituencies in Sharqiya, where all four professional and four workers and farmers seats are up for grabs. The FJP candidates are either facing the Salafi Al-Nour Party or independent candidates. But when it comes to voting in Sharqiya, it's not the candidate's party or political programs that voters take into consideration, but kinship and tribal connections. “I'm keen on voting when there is a relative or in-law running; we have to stand by him,” said Gamal Abdel Hamid, a fruit vendor. “The mayor usually guides the people [of his village] on who to vote for and we must abide by it,” he explained, adding that they can't go against the mayor's choice because it would be revealed during the vote counting. Tribal connections are the decisive factor in voters' choices and the reason why they vote for members of the dissolved National Democratic Party in the rural governorate. Former minister of social solidarity under ousted president Hosni Mubarak's regime, Ali Moselhi, is competing in the run-offs for the professionals seat in Sharqiya's third constituency against FJP's Mohamed Fayed. In the first round of elections, Moselhi won 104,254 votes almost 40,000 less than Fayed who raked in 139,015. “We vote for the people not political parties,” said Mohamed Abdel Fattah, who owns a repair shop for truckers. Others criticized the practice of allowing someone else to make the choice on their behalf, saying it is a violation of a citizen's democratic rights. “The tradition here directs the vote for the [family members]. This may be wrong but the majority of the people here are illiterate and need awareness,” said Yehia Nassar, a government employee. The Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) said Tuesday that run-offs in all Sharqiya constituencies will take place as scheduled on Dec. 21 and 22. Judge Youssry Abdel Kerim, head of SEC's technical office, said that they did not received any administrative court orders regarding stopping the elections there. Zagazig's Administrative Court has reportedly ruled to stop the run-offs in Sharqiya's second constituency after independent candidate Ahmed Dessouky filed a lawsuit complaining of vote-rigging. The run-offs in the second constituency for the professionals seat are between FJP's Amir El-Naggar and independent candidate Ibrahim Hegazy; and for the workers/farmers seat between FJP's Mohamed Abdel Raouf and Al-Nour's Mohamed Hassan.
