Judicial supervision of local elections unprecedented: NEC

CAIRO – 11 July 2018: Mohamed Refaat, executive vice president of the National Elections Commission, said on Wednesday that the judicial supervision of local elections by the National Elections Commission is unprecedented.

Refaat added during the round table organized by Al-Ahram Center for Political & Strategic Studies (ACPSS) that the NEC has overseen all the elections that took place in Egypt; the municipal, presidential and parliamentary elections.

He also said that the commission carries out its mission according to the Constitution and law throughout the different stages of elections, adding that the number of those entitled to vote reached 60 million Egyptians.

Political parties are preparing for the local election, slated to take place at the end of 2018 or the early beginnings of 2019, as announced by speaker of the Parliament Ali Abdel Aal.

The Ministry of Local Development has reportedly allocated specific portions from its 2018/2019 budget to local councils, implying the government’s intention to permit municipal councils to work once again, MP Yousry al-Asiouty, member of the parliamentary Committee for Local Development, said in press remarks.

The local administration law will be expectedly passed during the current parliamentary session and then the government will be able to hold the municipal election.

The local administration law stipulates that 75 percent of the seats shall be dedicated to the single-member seats, while 25 percent goes to the candidates of the winning mixed-party list.