250k voters register away from home governorate

CAIRO – 5 March 2018: Only 250,000 voters seeking to vote outside their domicile governorates in the upcoming presidential election have registered their data across Egypt despite facilitation services provided by the National Election Authority (NEA), according to a NEA judicial source.

Because of an increasing number of employees working in places other than their habitual residence in Egypt, the source added that subcommittees will be increased from 35 to 40 committees, including the moving committees for those who will vote in places other than their residence, stressing that the NEA offers many unprecedented facilities for them, including extending the registration date.

He referred that the subcommittees exert many efforts to distribute voters among voting committees, preparing for the presidential election due to be held March 26-28.

On the other hand, Chancellor Mahmoud al-Sharif, deputy chairman of the NEA and its official spokesman, said that the Committee for Monitoring the Election has not observed any breaches from the candidates.

Egyptian Minister of Youth Khaled Abdel Aziz said on March 5 through a post on his official Facebook page that there are 35 million young people registered to vote.

The minister added that if 50 percent of those young men and women participate in the upcoming presidential election, the voting process will reach unprecedented historic rates.

Abdel Aziz said that the young women and men from 18 to 40 are expected to boost the voting process during the upcoming presidential election.

The NEA has approved dozens of NGOs to observe and monitor the upcoming presidential election due to take place in late March, including the National Council of Human Rights and the National Women’s Council.

Mahmoud Lasheen, NEA’s official spokesperson, told Egypt Today that 53 local civic organizations and nine international and Arab organizations have been accredited to observe and monitor the 2018 presidential election, in which two presidential candidates have been officially announced for the presidential bid.

He revealed that six political entities have also been approved by the NEA to take part in observing and monitoring the upcoming presidential election as follows:

1. Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
2. African Union
3. Arab League
4. Arab Parliament
5. COMESA
6. Community of Sahel-Saharan States

The NEA announced the 2018 presidential election timeline on January 8. Potential candidates were allowed to submit their applications between January 20 and 29. The final list of candidates was announced on February 24.

The official candidates for the presidential election include incumbent President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Al-Ghad Party’s Moussa Moustafa Moussa.