CAIRO - The parliamentary election fever Sunday boosted sales of ready-to-eat meals in the three Cairo densely populated areas of Kobri el-Qubba, el-Wailli, and Abbassiya, shop owners have said. "Free meals are a must factor in any Egyptian election," the owner of a kebab (grilled meat) shop in Kobri el-Qubba said. The offering of free breakfast and lunch meals to lure voters into electing this or that candidate is so embedded in Egypt's electoral process, Ahmed Hassan said, adding that his workers had been working all night to prepare hundreds of kebab and kofta dishes for voters. "Candidates of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) in Kobri el-Qubba have ordered hundreds of meals to lure voters into electing them," Ahmed said, while standing outside his shop, where kebab smoke wafted out of his shop. The smell of grilled meat lent a lively contrast to this relatively poor neighbourhood as NDP candidates Sherine Ahmed Fouad and Abdul Hamid Shalaan gave free meals to win votes. Their assistants and volunteers spread leaflets around promising more and better services to the neighbourhood's residents. A poor female resident, who asked not to be identified, said that she had not seen the two candidates since the last election five years ago ��" after she helped them win their parliamentary seats. "They only come here with their meals of meat and koshari whenever they need our votes, but they disappear once they win," she said. Often cursed as a haven for the poor, el-Wailli constituency is rich in votes and turns into a political hub during the election season. The parliamentary hopefuls have been frequenting el-Wailli, where hundreds of thousands of voters are eligible to one or two members of parliament (MPs). Candidates Sunday distributed breakfast and lunch boxes to the poor men and women, who were more than happy to get two free meals that contained grilled chicken pieces, bread, koshari and even fried potatoes. "The residents of el-Wailli (which is near Kobri el-Qubba) allow the candidates to come here and hang their campaign materials, regardless of party affiliation. But of course, they give us food and money to vote for them," a street vendor, who wanted to be identified as Shaaban, said. "The people vote for such candidates, who offer them food and money," he said, adding that he received two free tubs of koshari. Shaaban said it was no secret that many Wailli dwellers sold their votes because money remained their only tangible and immediate benefit from the parliamentary elections, which are held once every five years. He claimed that many voters won two free meals and an amount of LE20, or LE50. In the poor streets of Abbassiya in Cairo, candidates of opposition parties distributed free meals of fuul and taamiya, while their NDP rivals offered hot kofta (meat ball) sandwiches and kosahri, according to locals. For 53-year-old Zainab, who sells sunflower seeds outside a Government-run school, the free meal brings much needed nourishment to her and her children. "I've taken a free meal for each one of my children... life is so hard, and elections are once every five years," she argued. She added that she took a “food bribe” twice by just tagging along caravans of opposing politicians.
