Crowds Surge as Egypt Votes

Huge crowds have turned up for today’s Egyptian elections—and though police and troops are closely monitoring the voting, it’s been unexpectedly peaceful so far, the New York Times reports. Though it’s the first election since Hosni Mubarak’s exit, it may not be as historic as it seems, the Wall Street Journal notes. The political groups in power for decades are poised for victory, with the Muslim Brotherhood and leading families with connections to the old regime likely to win the day.

But with military leaders refusing to cede much ground to the future parliament, some observers say today’s victors won’t have much to celebrate. "The elections will have no legitimacy," says a protester. "It is a sideshow. But it is being portrayed as a main event, because people want to have some hope." Still, activists are hoping to root out any foul play in the election, Reuters reports. Thousands are watching the proceedings with cameras and cell phones in hand, ready to capture any sign of the unsavory strategies that long kept Mubarak in place, including pressuring voters and winning votes by offering food and medicine. (More Egypt stories.)