ET interviews Egyptian expatriate in Berlin during election

CAIRO – 16 March 2018: As Egyptians continue to cast their ballots in Berlin on Friday, March 16, the first day of the 2018 presidential election, Egypt Today interviewed one of the voters who moved to Germany many years ago while still holding a dream of returning to his homeland one day.

Al-Hussain Shaker, a political science student at Humboldt University who was awarded the International Parliamentary Scholarship, said that he feels homesick every time he remembers some of his memories with old friends.

“I’m from Upper Egypt originally, and I remember how I shared the memories of the 1973 Arab–Israeli War (6th of October War) with my father and family. I remember the day I graduated from Ain Shams University and got the scholarship,” Shaker told Egypt Today.

He affirmed that he wishes that he can go back to his country to get the chance to serve it again. Shaker argued that all Egyptian expatriates should take part in the election.



Egyptian embassies in most of the European countries gathered to cast their ballots since the early hours of Friday, March 16. The Egyptian embassies in London, Hague, Brussels and Berlin opened their doors to voters on the first day of the presidential election.


Voters head to Egyptian embassy in The hamburg to cast their vote in Presidential election - Egypt Today


A number of voters were pictured outside the Egyptian embassy in London waving Egyptian flags as they cast their ballots. A woman voter standing outside the Egyptian embassy in London after voting was wearing a dress featuring the Egyptian flag in its three colors (black, white and red).

Earlier, the National Elections Authority (NEA) held a press conference to review the progress of the electoral process that commenced Friday for overseas Egyptian voters and will last for three consecutive days.




Voters head to Egyptian embassy in The hamburg to cast their vote in Presidential election - Egypt Today



NEA spokesperson Mahmoud El Sherif, who also serves as deputy head of the NEA, said Egyptian embassies abroad witnessed a huge turnout from each country's respective Egyptian community.

He also stated that the voting process is currently taking place in 118 countries, adding that the NEA has provided the polling stations abroad with additional laptops because of the huge turnout.

The NEA has not been informed of any obstacles facing voters abroad while casting their ballots and expressed its full readiness to address any issues in this regard.


Voters head to Egyptian embassy in The hamburg to cast their vote in Presidential election - Egypt Today


It is not a must for any Egyptian living abroad to have a residency permit to be allowed to cast their ballot, Sherif added. "The percentage of the voter turnout will be announced by the end of the electoral process abroad," he said.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Al-Ghad Party Chairman Moussa Moustafa Moussa are the only candidates approved to run in the election. The voting process officially commences for Egyptians residing in the country on March 26, and the last day of voting is on March 28.