Egypt holds senatorial elections despite fears of a renewed wave of coronavirus as the country begins to recover from the pandemic. The new legislative body is being elected according to a 2019 referendum that will also allow Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah al-Sissi to stay in power until 2030. VOA’s Heather Murdock writes from Istanbul with photos by Hamada Elrasam in Cairo.
Egypt Votes for New Senate Amid Pandemic Fears
![Analysts say the two-day vote appears not to have drawn large crowds because of virus fears and general apathy over the election, in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.](https://gdb.voanews.com/c49231bc-7141-4213-8c19-c7ff158b75d0_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Analysts say the two-day vote appears not to have drawn large crowds because of virus fears and general apathy over the election, in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.
![Women work on election duties in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020. The new senate will have 200 elected members, and 100 appointed directly by the president. Results are expected August 19.](https://gdb.voanews.com/309d1afd-25f0-44ad-8663-705e70e68d3c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Women work on election duties in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020. The new senate will have 200 elected members, and 100 appointed directly by the president. Results are expected August 19.
![Some young men say "brokers" pay them to sit outside polls, presumably to create the appearance of greater youth participation in the election, in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.](https://gdb.voanews.com/9d946385-a07f-4468-9039-7d2b3a25e2fe_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Some young men say "brokers" pay them to sit outside polls, presumably to create the appearance of greater youth participation in the election, in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.
![At the polls, lawyer Mostafa Hefny comments on what he expects to be a lackluster turn out of young voters, saying, “Most of them don't understand the role of the senate or how it will benefit them,” in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.](https://gdb.voanews.com/b6129f9d-bab1-4148-ab9e-aefdbe616191_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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At the polls, lawyer Mostafa Hefny comments on what he expects to be a lackluster turn out of young voters, saying, “Most of them don't understand the role of the senate or how it will benefit them,” in Cairo, Aug. 11, 2020.