Egyptian Expatriates in New York Commence Voting in Presidential Polls

Egyptian expatriates in New York have flocked to the Egyptian Consulate to cast their votes in the presidential elections, marking the first day of overseas voting. As the polling stations opened in New York, residents aligned with the local time zone embraced the opportunity to participate in the election process.

Four candidates are contending in the elections: presidential candidate Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (symbol: the star), presidential candidate Farid Zahran, the head of the Egyptian Democratic Party (symbol: the sun), presidential candidate Abdel-Sanad Yamama (symbol: the palm tree), the head of the Wafd Party, and presidential candidate Hazem Omar, the head of the Republican People's Party (symbol: the peace sign).

The electoral process outside Egypt takes place over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in 137 embassies and consulates across 121 countries worldwide. The locations and addresses were determined by the decision of the Board of Directors of the National Election Authority (27) for the year 2023.

The polling stations outside Egypt operate from 9 AM to 9 PM local time in each country. New Zealand was the first country where the Egyptian embassy opened its doors to voters. There is a time difference of 11 hours between Egypt and New Zealand. New Zealand, situated in the southwest Pacific Ocean, consists of two main islands alongside a group of smaller islands, with Wellington as its capital.

The National Election Authority, under the leadership of Counselor Hazem Badawi, issued a decision to form the General Committee overseeing the election committees abroad.

The committee's task involves receiving all results from subcommittees at the diplomatic missions abroad, compiling the numerical breakdown of participants, valid and invalid votes, and each candidate's tally. The committee will send the exclusive count to the National Election Authority to be added to the domestic results, officially announced by the Authority on December 18.