Q&A: All you need to know about the election, sorting

CAIRO – 28 March 2018: The presidential election committees opened their doors to voters to cast their ballots on the third and final day of the presidential election, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., allowing the last voter inside the polling station to cast his/her ballot, even if it is after 9 p.m.

Here are answers to the questions that people ask regarding the process of electing the next president of Egypt:


When will the counting of votes begin for the presidential election?

At the end of the third day when the committees close the doors to the polling booths at 9 p.m., or once the last voter has left.


Where are the sorting operations conducted?

The sorting operations are conducted at the headquarters of the subcommittees.


Who has the right to attend the sorting process and announce the counting of votes?

Representatives of each candidate or their agent, followers of local and foreign civil society organizations, international associations, and media outlets with authorized permission.


Is there a limit to the number of attendees from each sector present during the counting?

If the chairman of the committee feels that the place is overcrowded, a draw will be made between them so that the number of attendees does not exceed three from each sector.


How does the counting process take place?

The chairman of the sub-committee, in the presence of the secretariat and members of the committee, the representative of each candidate and representatives of the media, conducts a number of actions:

1 - Removes the plastic locks placed on the boxes.
2 - The box is emptied of its contents on a table, and displayed to the audience to ensure it is clear.
3 - Folds the papers one by one, without showing the results of the voting, with the assistance of the committee's secretaries.
4 - Divides the papers into three groups, a group of invalid votes, and a group for each candidate
5 - Counts and proves the number of invalid votes and valid votes obtained by each candidate.
6 - The number of valid votes must be equal to the total number of votes obtained by the candidates.
7 - Establishes a report of the counting procedures and each page shall be signed by the chairman and secretary of the committee and the representatives of the candidates.


What will the chairman of the subcommittee declare?

The chairman of the sub-committee will announce the results of the numerical census, including the number of registered voters, the number of votes cast, the number of valid and invalid votes, and the number of votes each candidate received in the presence of the attendees.


Who has the right to receive a copy of the results?

The representative of each candidate shall receive a copy of the results and sign that they have received it, including the votes obtained by each candidate in numbers and letters.


What are the procedures that the chairman of the sub-committee should follow after announcing the results?

The sub-committees shall send a screening report and records to their general committees to collect the votes and to approve the total votes each candidate obtained from all the committees. Three copies of this report are provided, each copy signed by the chairman and the secretary.

The chairman of the general committee declares the number of valid votes each candidate received in the presence of representatives of candidates, the media and followers of civil society organizations.

Then, the head of the general committee delivers all the papers of the electoral process to the headquarters of the follow-up committee of the Court of First Instance, which will then send them to the National Electoral Commission.


Do subcommittees or general committees announce election results?

No, the subcommittees declare the number of votes cast in each committee, the number of valid and invalid votes, and the number of votes obtained by each candidate. It also announces a compilation of the number of votes submitted to all its subsidiary committees.

The announcement of the results is the responsibility of the National Electoral Commission, which will officially announce the results of the presidential election on April 2.