NEA sets monitoring criteria for upcoming presidential elections

CAIRO – 6 September 2023: The board of the National Election Authority (NEA), led by Counselor Waleed Hamza, has confirmed the acceptance of applications from both local and foreign civil society organizations (CSOs) as well as applications from media establishments, online platforms, and journalistic institutions to monitor the upcoming presidential elections.

The executive body of the NEA has been tasked with examining the remaining applications in accordance with the provisions of the National Election Authority's resolutions No. 22 and 23 of 2019. These resolutions pertain to the registration in the CSOs database and the media coverage of elections and referendums.

Resolution No. 22 of 2019 specifically pertains to establishing a database for the registration of local, foreign, and international civil society organizations and other bodies with the NEA, thereby facilitating their monitoring of the elections.

What does "monitoring the elections" mean? As per the resolution, monitoring the electoral process encompasses observing all procedures related to candidate registration, electoral advertising, voting, vote counting, and the announcement of election results. Observers are strictly prohibited from intervening in any stage of the electoral process, influencing voters, campaigning for candidates, or receiving grants, gifts, aid, or benefits under any name from any candidate or their supporters.

Criteria of local CSOs suitable for monitoring elections:

•           Must have a good reputation, recognized for neutrality and integrity.

•           Must focus primarily on election monitoring, supporting democracy, or human rights.

•           Delegates from these organizations, who wish to monitor elections and referendums, should be registered in the voters' database.

Documents required for the monitoring application:

•           A copy of the documents indicating the organization's registration.

•           A recent certificate from the concerned ministry, confirming its legal operation and compliance with applicable laws.

•           A comprehensive summary of the organization, its legal status, activities, and previous election monitoring experiences.

•           A statement specifying the number of monitors nominated by the organization, broken down by province.

•           Name of the organization's representative at the NEA.

•           The NEA may request additional documentation if deemed necessary.

Criteria of election monitoring delegates:

•           Must have a good reputation.

•           Should not be affiliated with a political party or a candidate's promotional campaign within Egypt.

•           Must be 18 years of age or more when applying.

•           All details in the online registration form on the NEA's website should be filled out.

Criteria of international and foreign CSOs:

•           Must have a good reputation, recognized for neutrality and integrity.

•           The core activities of the original organization should include election monitoring, human rights, or supporting democracy.

•           A comprehensive summary of the organization's legal status, activities, and previous election monitoring experiences should be submitted.

•           The list of the countries where the organization has monitored elections or referendums in the past 3 years should be mentioned.

•           A statement specifying the number of monitors nominated by the organization should be attached.

•           The name of the organization's representative at the NEA should be included.

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The National Election Authority, headed by Counselor Waleed Hamza, has ensured transparent and inclusive election proceedings. Its mission is to facilitate a smooth electoral process that meets international standards, and to foster public confidence in the outcome.