Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Egypt’s military has been assigned a leading role in
securing presidential elections.

Officials said the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has decided to
deploy Army, Navy and Air Force personnel to secure polling stations
throughout Egypt on May 23-24.

The officials said the military was assigned the mission in wake of a determination that Egypt did not contain enough police officers to stop election violence.

“The plan includes using various military units to secure polling
stations in the provinces,” an Egyptian official statement said. There are set procedures to be followed in case of riots.”

Officials said military commanders have already toured polling stations and were briefed on guidelines to prevent violence during elections. They said the elections have been supervised by SCAF chief Hussein Tantawi, also Egypt’s defense minister, as well as Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Sami Annan.

Under the plan, 95 percent of the military has been recruited for the
two-day operation. Officials said the Second Army was assigned the
northeastern provinces of Ismailia, Port Said, Daqahlia, Sharqiya, Damietta
and North Sinai.

North Sinai has been deemed the most violent province in Egypt, with
nearly daily clashes between security forces and Bedouin gunmen. On May 17,
Egyptian security forces were said to have captured a large weapons cache,
including dozens of surface-to-air missiles, in the province.

The Third Army has been assigned the provinces of Suez and South Sinai.
Alexandria, Beheira and Kafr Sheik were placed under the responsibility of
the navy.

The military regime has pledged fair and transparent presidential
elections. But SCAF has been vague on the powers of the first president
after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

On May 21, SCAF was scheduled to issue its proposal to amend the
constitution that would define the powers of the next president. The
military said it was intervening after a panel failed to agree on a new
constitution.

  Bedouin gunmen, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Sami Annan, Egypt deploy military to stop election violence, Hosni Mubarak, Hussein Tantawi, North Sinai, presidential elections May 23-24, Supreme Council of the Armed Forces