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The faces of Egypt’s voters

Residents of Alexandria describe the feeling of taking part in historic election to choose the country’s next president.

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Menna Saleh, 21
"I feel proud because it(***)s the first time I vote for president and get to learn about his programme for Egypt. It(***)s very new for us. Egypt is flourishing and recovering." - Menna Saleh, 21
By Matthew Cassel
Published On 23 May 2012
Mustafa Nassar Lasheen, 70
"It seems good until now, but it(***)s the counting process that matters. This is my third time ever voting, all since the revolution [referendum, parliamentary and now presidential]. I voted for Aboul Fotouh because he(***)s a moderate." - Mustafa Nassar Lasheen, 70
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Iman Hafez, 48
"I feel, God willing, that this will be good for the country and my vote will be considered." - Iman Hafez, 48
Mohamed Essam, 20
"I feel comfortable, very happy. It(***)s the first time I vote and I feel my voice is going to make a difference. This will make Egypt one of the strongest countries in the world. I voted for Hamdeen Sabahi." - Mohamed Essam, 20
Randa Mofran, 49
"Very happy to be living in a democracy. I voted for Amr Moussa." - Randa Mofran, 49
Ibrahim al-Hagg, 58
"It(***)s a great day because every Egyptian can vote for his president [though] I don(***)t know what(***)s next." - Ibrahim al-Hagg, 58
Hannan Feteilha, 48
"I feel comfortable and happy that for the first time my vote is important. God willing, everything will be okay. I(***)m very optimistic. I voted for Amr Moussa." - Hannan Feteilha, 48
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Mohamed Ahmed Hendy, 28
"I(***)m free to choose which president would represent me. I was hoping for a long time that this day would come. Everything will improve. Even if someone wins whom I didn(***)t choose, I will respect him because he(***)s the choice of the majority." - Mohamed Ahmed Hendy, 28
Hassan Kamal Mustafa, 59
"I don(***)t feel happy because there was a lack of information [before the elections]. The media is only focusing on the Muslim Brotherhood and not the other candidates. The Brotherhood uses Islam, but it(***)s far from Islam. They say one thing and do something else." - Hassan Kamal Mustafa, 59
Nabil Shikry Anis, 56
"I hope the outcome will be good. It(***)s unclear what(***)s next. I hope I can be optimistic. I voted for Hamdeen Sabahi, and he(***)s the only one who represents the revolution." - Nabil Shikry Anis, 56
Zizi Ali, 60
"I feel very happy and I hope whoever is best will win the elections. I hope democracy will last for my children and grandchildren. I voted for Hamdeen Sabahi because I feel he was the closest to the people. He feels the suffering of the Egyptians." - Zizi Ali, 60
Samir Zaky Shehata, 73
"I feel great, thank God. For the first time all segments of Egypt are voting for their president without pressure from anyone. Muslims, Christians, everyone. God willing, it will be good for Egypt." - Samir Zaky Shehata, 73
Abdel Moneim Akl, 75
"I(***)m extremely happy my voice and my vote count in choosing who(***)s going to rule Egypt. I hope that we(***)ll see better days ... and that our problems will be solved. I always voted ... but I didn(***)t feel it counted when Hosni Mubarak would take 99 per cent." - Abdel Moneim Akl, 75
Riham Mustafa, 20
"I thank God for the opportunity [to elect our president]. I thought the day would never come. I(***)m optimistic. I voted for Aboul Fotouh but I(***)ll be happy with the majority. We all need to work to make Egypt better." - Riham Mustafa, 20
Abdel Karim Hassan, 58
"I really hope that the best person for the country wins and that my children will have a better life than I did." - Abdel Karim Hassan, 58
Sahar Samir Zaky, 43
"I(***)m happy that for the first time we are voting for our president. Now the term will be four years and if he doesn(***)t do what the people want, they wont accept it. I(***)m not happy with the turnout. I(***)m going to go home and tell everyone to come vote." - Sahar Samir Zaky, 43
ASsaf Saad Assaf, 62
"I(***)m happy, it(***)s the first time I ever voted. I don(***)t know how to describe it. God willing, it(***)ll be good for Egypt. I voted for Ahmed Shafiq." - Assaf Saad Assaf, 62
Islam Mohamed, 22
"This is the first time I(***)ve voted and I know my canddaite might win. God willing, it(***)s better for the country. The revolution made me believe. If it wasn(***)t for the revolution we(***)d have Gamal Mubarak right now." - Islam Mohamed, 22
Sahar Mohaemd , 39
"I feel we finally have dignity and we can vote for who we want. God willing, it will be good for the country. I voted for Mohamed Morsi." - Sahar Mohamed, 39
Ahmed Mohamed Sharikawy, 32
"I(***)m worried and waiting for the results. Ahmed Shafiq, the candidate I voted for, is being attacked a lot now, as during the revolution." - Ahmed Mohamed Sharikawy, 32
Nahla Mahmoud, 28
"I hope these elections are good for the country and better than what we had in the past. We want the right to work and things to be more affordable. We want a better life. I voted for Hamdeen Sabahi." - Nahla Mahmoud, 28
Samra al-Sayed, 52
"Thank God. There were no problems, nothing. I feel good. I would(***)ve never imagined this day would come. I voted for Amr Moussa." - Samra al-Sayed, 52
Ali Ibrahim Fouda, 59
"Today is a good day. We want someone to run the country. It(***)ll be the prosperous country that it deserves to be. I voted for Amr Moussa because he knows the country." - Ali Ibrahim Fouda, 59
Ahmad Alaa, 21
"I really hope the winning candidate will focus on the youth and creating jobs. We have to thank the martyrs who gave their lives for this day to happen. Before I voted I said a prayer in remembrance of them. I voted for Aboul Fotouh." - Ahmad Alaa, 21
Gihad Said Narasani, 20
"This is the first I feel alive. Before I felt like I didn(***)t exist. But that all changed when we began saying "no". I voted for Mohamed Morsi." - Gihad Said Narasani, 20
Mona Mohamed, 22
"I(***)ve never felt this happy before. All I can think of is the martyrs; I feel their dreams are starting to become realised. I voted for Hamdeen Sabahi." - Mona Mohamed, 22
Abeer Al-Sayed, 31
"For the first time I can choose the president of my country. Hopefully it will be better. But it depends on who wins, if the person is good or not. The elections could be forged. I voted for Mohamed Morsi because of his [Islamic] renaissance project for Egypt." - Abeer Al-Sayed, 31
Sayed al-Sayed, 51
"We voted and we(***)re going to see a new president who will hopefully be good for the country." - Sayed al-Sayed, 51
Abdel Rahim Abdel Wahab Abdel Rahim, 58
"Today(***)s a celebration because Egypt is going forward. I voted for Ahmed Shafiq because he is a military man and Egypt needs someone from the military. I voted for the Muslim Brotherhood [in parliamentary elections last year] and they turned out to be liars." - Abdel Rahim Abdel Wahab, 58
Emad al-Din, 32
"Today for the first time I(***)m voting for my president. It(***)s a great feeling." - Emad al-Din, 32