Egyptians in Dubai cast votes in 2018 presidential polls

CAIRO – 16 March 2018: Egyptian expatriates in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, flocked to the designated polling stations early Friday to cast their votes in the 2018 presidential election.

Flocks of Egyptians have lined up in front of the embassy and consulates across the UAE early Friday waiting for the polling stations to open their door for them.

The polling stations in the UAE accomplished all technical and logistical preparations for the voting process. Moreover, they provided the voters with all facilities to ease the voting process.

Dozens of Egyptian female voters chanted patriotic songs in front of the embassy’s headquarters in Dubai and raised photos of incumbent President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

Egyptian female expatriate living in Dubai, Reda Khalil, sent to Egypt Today the Egyptian presidential ballot card showing that she had voted for President Sisi.



Consulates and embassies across the world officially opened their doors Friday at 9 a.m. local time in each country.

The Egyptian Embassy in New Zealand was the first to open to the electorate, given an 11-hour time difference with Cairo.

Due to political unrest and a worsening security situation, the elections will not take place in Yemen, Syria and Libya.

Egyptians at home are due on March 26-28 to cast their ballots in the country's 27 governorates.

The 2018 presidential election takes place in 139 foreign embassies and consulates in 124 foreign countries for three days; starting March 16 until March 18.



Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Loza previously said that all foreign missions have been provided with electronic scanners so voters’ ID cards and passports can be quickly scanned, noting that the whole expatriate voting process will be monitored by surveillance cameras linked with an operations room at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

In 2017 the government estimated the number of Egyptians living abroad at 9.4 million.

The National Election Authority (NEA), headed by counselor Lashin Ibrahim, announced on February 24 the final list for Egypt’s upcoming presidential election including President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Moussa Moustafa Moussa, Head of al-Ghad Party.

Sixty million eligible voters will cast their ballots in the election on March 26-28 in Egypt, while expatriates will vote on March 16-18 at 139 polling stations located in embassies and consulates of 124 countries, said Ibrahim in a press conference.

The primary results of the first round of the election will be announced on March 29, where decisions on appeals submitted by candidates, if any, will be made. The final results of the first round will be announced on April 2.