Eye on international presidential elections in 2018

CAIRO – 24 December 2017: Millions of people around the world will vote in presidential elections in 2018, including Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Libya in the Middle East. Russia, Brazil and Venezuela will also have presidential elections in the coming year.


Egypt

The Egyptian presidential election of 2018 is the most important event in the minds of many Egyptians and has been scheduled for May.

Former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik announced his intention to run for president in 2018. Despite issuing a statement, he then reversed his decision. However, he still says he may run, and he also stated that he needs to be more careful after being arrested in the UAE and deported back to Egypt recently.

The second candidate who officially announced his intention to run for the presidential election in 2018 is former presidential candidate and human rights lawyer Khaled Ali.

Incumbent President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is the sixth president of Egypt. He came to office in June 2014 after the June 30 Revolution, which toppled former President Mohamed Morsi, who is affiliated with the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.


Libya

Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya Fayez al-Sarraj announced that the country will hold its presidential and legislative elections in March 2018. He also called for all Libyans to unite in order to re-build their state.

Since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, many armed entities have fought for control of Libya. The country is currently having a power struggle between the internationally recognized government of Al Wefaq (Political Party) in Tripoli and the "interim government”, supported by the forces of Haftar.


Syria

There was a collective demand by all Syrian factions to hold presidential elections after the adoption of the official constitution of the country. Many citizens, senior state politicians and economists have announced their candidacy immediately after the opening of the elections.

It seems that Russia is trying hard to keep Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in office and reach a peaceful solution that satisfies all parties. Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura said that the Syrian election will be set after January 2018, after the first stage of referendums on the new constitution and parliament election.


Russia

At a news conference on December 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his candidacy for the 2018 presidential elections. He also stated that any candidate in the elections must submit an election program benefiting the citizens of Russia, according to Russia Today news network.

The Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) announced on December 18 that it had received 17,697 billion rubles ($301.6 million) to begin the next presidential elections, according to TASS Russian news agency.


Brazil

In October 2018, Brazil will see an important presidential election under the cloud of the biggest corruption scandal in the country’s recent history. This does not bode well for former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is trying to return to the political arena. Although he leads in the polls, he was also convicted on corruption charges.

A poll, conducted by the Távola Foundation and published by Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, showed Lula da Silva easily winning the first round of elections and getting 30 percent of the votes, based on their poll. Two potential competitors came in second place with 11 percent of the vote, and current President Michel Tamer, who has repeatedly said he will not run in the 2018 election, received only two percent of the vote, according to the poll.

Venezuela

On November 30, Venezuelan Vice President Tariq al-Issami said that President Nicolas Maduro would seek a second term in the 2018 election.
According to El País newspaper, Venezuela's presidential election is scheduled for December 2018, but the elections are expected to begin taking place early next year.