Vote counting under way in Kuwait for 2018 polls

CAIRO – 19 March 2018: The Egyptian embassy officials in Kuwait began counting votes for the 2018 presidential election late Sunday shortly after polls closed in Kuwait.

The embassy had extended the voting time, which were supposed to end at 9pm local time, until all the voters inside the embassy building cast their ballots.

The presidential election has been running over the past three days in 139 foreign embassies and consulates across 124 foreign countries.


Sorting ballots at the Egyptian embassy in Kuwait - Press photo
The National Election Authority (NEA) spokesperson Mahmoud El Sherif said previously that the NEA will release a detailed report on the election’s participation rate following the end of the voting process for citizens residing in Egypt. The process will take place between March 26 and 28.

The NEA spokesperson Mahmoud El Sherif, who also serves as the deputy head of the authority, said that Egyptian embassies abroad witnessed a huge turnout from each country's Egyptian community.

He added that the NEA has not been informed of any obstacles facing voters abroad while casting their ballots, even in Turkey and Qatar, and expressed the authority’s full readiness to address any issues in this regard.

Consulates and embassies across the world were to officially close the polls Sunday at 9pm local time in each country.


Sorting ballots at the Egyptian embassy in Kuwait - Press photo
The government and media outlets in Egypt have urged voters to head the polls on the second of the country's presidential election, amid a higher-than-expected turnout in the balloting.

Due to political unrest and a worsening security situation, the elections would not take place in three countries: Yemen, Syria and Libya.

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

In 2017 the government estimated the number of Egyptians living abroad at 9.4 million.

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 Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Moussa Moustafa Moussa, Head of al-Ghad Party.

Sisi, whose current presidential term will end in June, had won the 2014 presidential elections in a two-man race with nearly 97 percent of the vote.

Many observers and analysts favor Sisi in the current elections. According to the constitution, presidents may serve a maximum of two terms.

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.

Egyptian citizens have the right to vote starting 18 years old. Article 2 of the political rights law (Law 45/2014) bans from voting those who suffer from mental disorders or are under judicial interdiction, or who have been convicted of a felony.

Active members of the Armed Forces and police are not allowed to vote unless they leave the service or retire.

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.