Voter turnout in Chad exceeded our expectations: Amb.

CAIRO – 16 March 2018: Egypt’s ambassador to Chad, Adham Mohamed Naguib, said the number of Egyptians who flocked to participate at the presidential election exceeded all expectations.

He added in statements to media outlets on Friday that none of the voters have reported any obstacles facing them when casting their ballots. “Everything is going as planned, except that the rate of participation has actually exceeded all of our expectations.”
The Egyptian community in Chad is composed of 400-500 people, according to Naguib.

He affirmed that most Egyptians tended to express their joy and happiness during participating in the election. “They celebrated during casting their ballots inside the embassy,” he said.

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

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

He also added that the voting process is currently taking place at 118 countries, stating 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.

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."

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and President of Al-Ghad (Tomorrow) party Moussa Moustafa Moussa are the only candidates approved to run 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.