Egyptians Vote Amid Uncertainty Over Army’s Role

Egyptian army soldiers stand guard as voters line up outside a polling center in Assuit, south of Cairo, Egypt. (AP)

Egyptians from almost every social class and religious community turned out in unexpectedly large numbers Monday for the first fully free elections in the country’s history, with extensive police and army personnel present to prevent violence.

Lines in some places stretched for blocks, despite the days of unrest over the military’s insistence that it will keep its current powers after the election and that it will have a large say in the creation of an assembly to write a new constitution.

Crowds in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the country’s democratic movement, were smaller today, but there were still thousands there demanding an immediate end to military rule.

Guest:

• Thanassis Cambanis, columnist at The Boston Globe and a contributor to The Atlantic