Egyptians go to the Polls on May 26th and 27th to vote in a new President

The Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Egypt, Tawadros II, has appealed to the faithful not to shun the presidential election scheduled for 26th and 27th this month, but to go and vote. He made the call during the traditional meeting of prayer and catechesis he held on Wednesdays in the afternoon in the cathedral in Cairo. He said the election represents a good opportunity for the citizens to exercise their right of citizenship and to contribute with their vote to the efforts aimed at finding solutions to the social and political challenges the country has gone through in recent years. He urged the faithful not to cast a blind vote, but first to study the political programmes of the candidates before they decide who to give their vote. Two candidates are standing for the position of President. They are the former General, Abdel Fattah al-Sis, who played a key role in deposing the Moslem Brotherhood President, Mohammed Morsi, and a veteran politician, Hamdin Sabahi. Patriarch Tawadros II invited Christians to pray for peace in the country and for the successful conclusion of the presidential election. In a related development, the Coptic catholic Bishop of Minya in the same country, Boutros Fahim Awad Hanna, has appealed to Catholics to go to vote, noting that both presidential candidates are commendable. He invited every catholic to participate in the election, and each to vote for a candidate of his or her choice.