Domyat votes between tanks and mosques

Damietta, or Domyat as they say locally, is not Tahrir. It is an industrial port town in the north east of Egypt where the Nile slips into the Mediterranean Sea. The approach road to Domyat, from Cairo, is lined with oil refineries and fish farms. The town itself is known for its furniture making. Between the shops and houses there are woodyards and artesans selling doors, tables and chairs. We arrive in Domyat to the sound of a brass band playing on the quayside. The martial music is a fitting sound track to the heavy military presence. Two tanks and an armoured vehicle are parked outside the Court House. This is where counting is to take place after polls close in the first elections since the 25 January Revolution. It is a show of strength by the ruling armed forces, of little practical use in the event of a disturbance.

Over the bridge from Domyat is Ras El Bar, a small but garish tourist enclave of cafes, restaurants, seaside sports and marinas. It is popular with Egyptians but in winter it is a ghost town of empty holiday apartments. Beyond the urban centre, the region of Domyat is rural, agricultural and poor. It is one of eight governorates in which the first round of Egypt's elections is to take place. We are here to witness the elections process. During the course of the first day we visit twenty polling stations across the region, meeting with voters, party campaigners, election officials and the judges responsible for overseeing the vote.

Domyat is not Tahrir. As one protestor said to me in Cairo, in an instant opinion poll: "Five per cent of Egypt is with Tahrir, 45 per cent is with the Islamists, and the rest are with the Couch Party." Domyat belongs to the Islamists. It is a conservative region and there is a high voter turnout. At the polling stations we see people queueing from early in the day. The Freedom and Justice Party of the Muslim Brotherhood is out in force, as is El Nour, the party of the Salafist fundamentalists. At many of the polling stations one or both of these leading Islamist currents have set up stalls and are behaving as quasi public officials. With laptops and leaflets they advise voters on where to vote, how to vote and who to vote for. Inside the polling stations we see voters, many illiterate, arrive with party instructions on a card. Some simply give the card to the judge and say this is how I want to vote. Each polling station is overseen by a judge who is empowered to assist the voters but not to influence their choice.

The first day of voting in Domyat has been a good one for the armed forces. Soldiers with automatic rifles guard the polling stations. Most have a tank or two parked outside. Military supervision of the process is obvious. The legitimacy of the military leadership in overseeing Egypt's democratic transition rests heavily on a credible election outcome. At the end of day one everything has gone smoothly. Apart from the political campaigning, forbidden under election law during the polls, we have seen no significant violations of the election process nor have their been any signs of protest. Between the tanks and the mosques, Domyat is not Tahrir.