Egyptian expats in 5 countries will not able to vote in election

CAIRO – 31 January 2018: Egyptian expats in five countries will not be able to vote in the upcoming presidential election, which is set to be held in March, Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs Hamdi Sanad Loza said on Thursday.

Speaking in an interview with Egyptian state-run newspaper Al-Akhbar, Loza cited security issues behind this decision. “Egypt doesn’t have an embassy in Libya; therefore, no elections will be conducted there. Egyptians living in Somali spend most of their time in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi; moreover, the Egyptian embassy in Central African Republic is closed,” he said, adding that the security conditions are not stable in Syria and Yemen.

Voting abroad will take place in 139 embassies and consulates in 129 countries around the world, Loza added.

The National Election Authority (NEA) stated that President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and head of Al-Ghad Party Moussa Moustafa Moussa have applied to run in the presidential election.

Five candidates who announced their intentions to run for the presidency have dropped out. Former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, rights lawyer Khaled Ali, Parliamentarian Mortada Mansour, and Esmat al-Sadat, nephew of assassinated Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, withdrew from the race. Former Military Chief of Staff Sami Anan, who is still under military call-up service, is held by the military over accusations of forgery, as he announced running in the presidential election without gaining prior permission from the Armed Forces.

Voting in the 2018 presidential election in Egypt will commence on March 26, as announced by the NEA on January 8. Sixty million eligible voters will cast their ballots in the election between March 26 and 28 in Egypt, while Egyptians living aborad will vote between March 16 and 18.