Egyptians largely stayed away from parliamentary elections for a second day yesterday, highlighting growing disillusionment since the army seized power in 2013 and promised to restore democracy.

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said turnout on the first day of voting on Sunday was just 15-16 per cent but should rise after public sector workers were given a half-day off to vote. Estimates by judges overseeing the ballot suggested turnout had risen to 20 per cent or more by yester-day afternoon.

The lack of interest, particularly from young people who comprise the majority of Egypt’s population, stands in contrast to the long queues and youthful enthusiasm of the 2011-12 polls.

“I’m not going to give my vote to someone who doesn’t deserve it,” Michael Bassili, 19, from Alexandria. “As youth we’re trying to fix the country and we’ll work to do this...but these guys are just interested in money and themselves.”

Low turnout suggests President Al-Sisi is losing some of his former appeal

Coming days after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged Egyptians to cast their ballots, the low turnout suggested the former general, who once enjoyed cult-like adulation, was losing some of his appeal.

Mr al-Sisi has described the election as a milestone on the road to democracy in Egypt, the most populous Arab country.

But with most of his opponents in jail, Mr al-Sisi is not expected to face any serious challenges from parliament, and the low turnout will reinforce the view that it will lack credibility.

In 2013, then-army chief Sisi overthrew Egypt’s first freely-elected president, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi, and promised a “roadmap to democracy”.

He then launched the fiercest crackdown on dissent in Egypt’s modern history, jailing thousands of Morsi’s supporters as well as activists at the forefront of the 2011 revolt that ended Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule and ignited hopes of change.

Last year’s presidential election was extended for a third day in order to boost turnout, with pro-government media pushing Egyptians to show up. Mr al-Sisi won 97 per cent of votes.

This time, even Egypt’s largely loyalist press focused on the lack of interest in the polls. Analysts say Mr al-Sisi may try to spin the apathy to his favour by arguing that Egyptians place more faith in the presidency. “An election without voters,” said a front-page headline in the business daily Al-Mal. “Elections without queues,” read a headline in Al Shorouk.