LE 500 fine for those who do not vote in referendum: NEC Spokesperson

CAIRO – 19 April 2019: Mahmoud El-Sherif, Deputy Chairperson of the National Elections Commission and Official Spokesperson, called on Egyptians to go out and vote in the referendum, explaining that it is a national duty and that those who do not vote will be fined LE 500, as per the law.

In previous elections, there were also reports and statements saying that those who do not vote will be fined LE 500, however, the fine was then wavered after Egyptians rejected the law, explaining that it is also a right of theirs to boycott an election.

Sherif said that those working in different governorates to which they are registered can vote in any sub-committee on the referendum. He explained that through the national identification card or passport, individuals can vote in any polling station.

The spokesperson also said in a statement to the Middle East News Agency on Friday that the Authority has taken measures to facilitate citizens and to prevent the recurrence of the vote through the use of phosphorous ink, as well as review the final database of voters and take legal action against those who exceed the frequency of voting.

The voter database is available to be accessed through the Commission's website on electoral centers, subcommittees and lists, indicating that the database is constantly being updated.

He added that the number of general committees to vote for Egyptians inside is 368 committees, which include 10,878 polling stations and 13,919 sub-committees.

Lashin Ibrahim, Head of the National Electoral Commission and Vice-President of the Court of Cassation, called on voters whose names are registered in the voters' database to participate in the constitutional referendum. The elections will take place outside Egypt on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 19-21, And on Monday, 20, 21 and 22 April.

Of those eligible to vote, 61,344,503 voters, 50.37% are men and 49.63% are women.

The referendum process is subject to full judicial supervision, with 19,339 judges (basic and reserve), of whom 15,324 are actual judges at the ballot box.