2018 Election witnessing huge turnout: Egyptian amb. to New Zealand

CAIRO – 15 March 2018: The Egyptian embassy in New Zealand officially opened its doors for ballot casting in the 2018 Presidential Election at 9:00PM (Cairo time), Egyptian ambassador to New Zealand, Tarek al-Wassimy, told the press.

Egyptian ambassador to New Zealand, Tarek al-Wassimy, casting his ballot

Al-Wassimy added that all facilities were provided to make the voting process much easier.

According to the ambassador, embassy members dispatched their own cars to transport Egyptians from airports to the embassy’s headquarter to cast their ballots.

He also added that the embassy is witnessing a huge turnout of Egyptian nationals who made sure to take part at the election.

Egyptian ambassador to New Zealand, Tarek al-Wassimy, casting his ballot

A voting committee was formed at the Egyptian embassy in Wellington, capital of New Zealand, headed by Ambassador Tarek Mohy El-Din Al Waseemi and the membership of Counselor Sameh Farouk Shehata. The committee's secretaries include the administrative attachés Maged Fawzi Khalil and Manar Abdel Khalek.

Australia, China, Japan, Russia and Indonesia would follow shortly throughout the night.

Egyptians at home are due on March 26-28 to cast their ballots in the country's 27 governorates.

The National Election Authority (NEA), headed by counselor Lashin Ibrahim, announced on February 24 the final list for Egypt’s upcoming presidential election including President Sisi and Moussa Moustafa Moussa, Head of al-Ghad Party.

Sisi showed his intention to run for president during his closing speech at the end of the three-day “Tale of a Homeland” conference, where the president and the Egyptian government presented an overview of the projects and achievements made in different fields during the last four years.

On his official Twitter account, Sisi called on the Egyptian people to participate intensively in the upcoming election and give their votes to whomever they see most eligible.

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 at 139 polling stations located in embassies and consulates of 124 countries, said Ibrahim in a press conference.

The primary results of the first round of the election will be announced on March 29, where decisions on appeals submitted by candidates, if any, will be made.

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