62 NGOs to observe presidential election: NEA

CAIRO – 15 February 2018: The National Election Authority (NEA) agreed on allowing 62 non-governmental organizations to observe the presidential elections due in March, Deputy Head of the National Election Authority Mahmoud el Sherif said.

In press remarks, Sherif added that the NEA’s supreme board granted permits to 53 local organizations and nine foreign organizations to observe the election; in addition to the National Human Rights councils and the National Council for Women.

Five days earlier, the Supreme Administrative Court studied the appeal presented by Wael Labib, chairman of the “All Egyptians” organization, against the National Election Authority (NEA) over the NEA’s decision to exclude the abovementioned organization from observing the presidential election.

The official candidates for the presidential election include the incumbent President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Al-Ghad’s Moussa Moustafa Moussa.

According to the election’s timetable published by the NEA on January 8, voting in the 2018 presidential election in Egypt will commence on March 26.

Sixty million eligible voters will cast their ballots in the election between March 26 and 28 in Egypt, while Egyptians living abroad will vote between March 16 and 18.

The Supreme Administrative Court is currently considering a case filed by Lawyer Tarek al-Awady who impugned the validity of Moussa’s candidacy for not meeting the education eligibility standards. Awady argued that Moussa has not obtained a certified university or higher education degree, which is a key requirement for candidates running in the presidential election.