Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Syria: High Turnout Despite Attempts to Derail Presidential Election
Polling stations have opened at 39 Syrian Embassies for citizens living abroad to vote ahead of Syria's June 3 presidential election. Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon are heading to polling stations in Amman and Beirut. According to the United Nations, 2.8 million Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring countries to escape the conflict. Over a million Syrian refugees are registered in Lebanon, and nearly half are believed to be of voting age. However, with only one polling station in Beirut, the facilities have appeared to be inadequate to serve the large number of people arriving to vote. Standing in line outside the embassy, Syrians interviewed said they would vote for President Bashar al-Assad, who is expected to secure a third term. The Syrian opposition and the United States have denounced the election as a sham. (FP)

Egypt: Low Turnout Despite Extension of Presidential Election
Egypt's election commission extended voting into a third day as low voter turnout is preventing former General Abdullah Fattah al-Sisi, who is forecast to win the presidency, from attaining the broad mandate and legitimacy he is seeking..... .However, turnout remained low on Wednesday, suggesting a lower level of support for Sisi. The Democracy International observer mission said the extension raised questions about the credibility of the electoral process. (FP)