86% of House of Representatives sign pro-Sisi petition

CAIRO – 11 January 2018: The number of Parliamentarians who signed petition “Alashan Tbneeha” (To Build It) calling on President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to run for a second term in the 2018 elections scheduled for March, has risen to 516, out of a total 596 members.

According to deputy secretary-general of Parliament Mohamed Nouser’s statements to Egypt Today, more signatures are expected to be received in the near future until January 28.

“Alashan Tbneeha” is a public campaign that kicked off in September to demand President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to run for a second term as President of Egypt witnessed a remarkable turnout by citizens and renowned figures of the Egyptian society as the signatures phase of the campaign was launched.

Voting in the 2018 presidential election in Egypt will start on March 26, as announced by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) on Monday, January 8. Sixty million eligible voters will cast their ballots in the election on March 26-28 in Egypt, while expatriates will vote on March 16-18.

In a press conference held by NEC Chairman Lasheen Ibrahim on Monday, he affirmed that the final list of the candidates will be announced on February 24, noting that the deadline for any candidate to retreat will be on March 1. The primary results of the first round of the election will be announced on March 29, when decisions on appeals submitted by candidates, if any, will be made.

The final results of the first round will be announced on April 2.

If no candidate obtains the majority of votes, a three-day run-off round will commence in Egypt on April 24, and on April 19 abroad.

“The name of the winning candidate will be announced on May 1,” Ibrahim stated.
The NEC previously announced that presidential candidates will have a ceiling of LE 20 million to spend on their electoral campaign in the first round, while they are only permitted to spend LE 5 million in the run-off round.