National Electoral Commission a democratic step: expert

Cairo - 20 August 2017: The establishment of National Electoral Commission (NEC) to supervise elections is considered a step in the democratic path, Salah Fawzy, a constitutional expert said on Sunday.

The NEC is an independent body which is exclusively concerned with the electoral process and no one has the right to interfere in its affairs. The commission authorities include announcing the names of presidential candidates, calling for presidential
elections, setting their dates, managing the electoral process with judicial supervision, and declaring final results of the elections, Fawzy said

Fawzy added that the commission and its board of directors will be formed by a presidential decree.

He called on the Commission to adopt a training strategy, in addition to organizing external training visits, expressing his wishes for the board of the NEC to attend the upcoming elections or referendum in France or other countries in order to benefit from their experiences.

He continued to stress the importance of the NEC in strengthening the political awareness of the citizens and bringing them to understand the value of their voices.

The long-awaited decision for the establishment of the commission is to be issued within the upcoming few weeks, according to sources at the Ministry of Justice.

The sources explained that the commission’s formation will directly follow President Abdelfattah al-Sisi’s return from his African tour taking place this week.

The parliament previously passed a law regarding judicial supervision of elections by 2024 and will create the NEC that will be responsible for supervising elections and referendums. The law was discussed earlier in June.