Ambassadors urge expats to participate in presidential election

CAIRO – 12 March 2018: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s campaign headed by Ambassador Mahmoud Karem held a meeting with 18 ambassadors on Sunday to review with them the preparations of the upcoming presidential election, two days before the campaign silence.

Following the meeting, the ambassadors urged the Egyptian expats all over the world to practice their right of voting and participate in the "democratic" election.

Bahraini Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa said to EgyptToday that the state facilitates all the procedures to guarantee a smooth voting process to all the Egyptians. “We are certain that the election will satisfy the Egyptian people".

Iraqi Ambassador Habib el-Sadr praised all the efforts President Sisi exerted during the first presidential term, saying that “If I was eligible to vote in the election, I would vote in favor of Sisi; I admire him and his achievements during his first presidential term.”

“The Iraqi government coordinates with the consulates in Iraq to ensure the success of the democratic process. The election will be running smoothly and successfully; we will provide all the logistical and security services for Egyptians in Iraq”, Sadr said.

Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Loh hailed the meeting, stating “We are confident that the electorates will be able to choose the direction that will enable Egypt to face all challenges."

“We are reassured of the transparency of the electoral process,” he said, hailing the achievements of Sisi in fighting terrorism during his first presidential term, stressing “Sisi will be able to complete the journey and achieve further victories and successes.”

Russia's Ambassador to Cairo Sergei Kiribchenko revealed to EgyptToday that Russia fully supports Egypt, saying that the last four years witnessed effective cooperation between Egypt and Russia; the ambassador also stressed that Egypt has overcome all challenges, and awaits "a bright future".

The National Electoral Commission will send the approved voting document to the diplomatic missions’ headquarters abroad within 48 hours so that the ambassadors overseeing the voting process can print sufficient numbers of the document before the election date, official sources told EgyptToday.

Campaign silence will begin outside Egypt on Wednesday, two days before the election's due date. The campaign silence halts all the activities carried out by the candidates' campaigns including holding seminars, conferences, hanging banners, among other forms of electoral propaganda.

Voting will take place for three days starting March 26 domestically, while it will begin on March 16 for expats from 9 am to 9 pm in each country’s local time. The winning candidate will be announced on April 2.

In February, the National Election Authority (NEA) announced the final list of the candidates, including current President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Head of al-Ghad Party Moussa Moustafa Moussa. Sisi chose a star as his symbol in the election, while Moussa chose a plane as his symbol.

Sixty-two national and international non-governmental and civil society organizations will observe the 2018 Egyptian election, according to the regulations of Law no. 8 of 2018, issued by the NEA, headed by Judge Lashen Ibrahim.