Wrap-up: Senate Elections: Egyptian citizens, officials practicing their constitutional right

CAIRO – 12 August 2020: Citizens and officials, including the President, were seen while casting their ballots in the elections of the re-instated Egyptian Senate, amid calls for citizens to practice their constitutional right for the vital role the Senate is expected to play in the political scene.

 

In June, The Egyptian Parliament gave a final approval on a draft law on the formation of the country’s reinstated Senate, in accordance with the 2019 constitutional amendments, which have been approved by a public referendum.

A total of 63 million Egyptian registered voters are entitled to vote in the 2020 Senate elections, distributed among 14 thousand and 92 sub-committees, under full judicial supervision, with the participation of 18,000 judges and the assistance of 120,000 employees.

On 9:00 PM, Wednesday, the polling stations closed, ending two-day vote inside the country, with promises by the National Elections Authority to apply fine on those who did not cast their ballot. Sorting process started.

 

“The fine stipulated in the Law on the exercise of political rights for those who fail to vote in the elections is an obligatory fine, same as any crime stipulated in the Penal Code,” Counselor Lashin Ibrahim, head of the National Elections Authority and deputy president of the Court of Cassation said in statements to the state TV.

He explained that “elections fine” is not something new in the Egyptian law, “but most of the states around the world implement this law”.

Vote started on Sunday and Monday for Egyptian expatriates residing outside the country.

Egypt’s Minister of Immigration called on all Egyptians abroad to cast their ballots on the first day of the Senate elections.

“Egyptians abroad have always played a significant and remarkable role at all constitutional entitlements since 2014. They have never hesitated to perform their duty towards their homeland,” Minister Nabila Makram said, in an interview with Al Mihwar’s 90 Minutes program.

“And here we are facing another constitutional entitlement for the Egyptians abroad, through which they can elect members of the Egyptian Senate, whose formation is prominent in the current stage,” she added.

وزيرة الهجرة تشرح تفاصيل وخطوات التصويت في انتخابات مجلس الشيوخ بالخارج عبر البريد

صباح_الورد - نشرت وزارة الهجرة فيديو خاص السفيرة نبيلة مكرم وزيرة الهجرة، تشرح من خلاله خطوات التصويت بالخارج عبر البريد في انتخابات #مجلس_الشيوخ حيث يبدأ ت...

The voters were not allowed to go to the embassies in the countries where they live to cast their ballots. The decision has taken into consideration the restrictions and precautionary measures taken in most countries in light of the coronavirus pandemic, which would hinder the Egyptian voters’ attendance at the embassies’ premises.

Consulates and embassies in 124 countries across the world officially opened their doors Friday at 9 A.M. local time in each country.

The National Election Authority, which is in charge of supervising the electoral process in Egypt, has excluded expats in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia from voting in the August Senate elections, due to unstable conditions of these states.

On the first day, the Egyptian embassy in New Zealand was the first to open for the voters, given an 11-hour time difference with Cairo.

The second day of expats voting in Senate elections kicked off Monday starting with China as voters could cast their ballots by mail until 9:00 P.M. according to the time zone of their countries of residence.

Also on Monday, state institutions acted actively to prepare for the Senate elections inside the country.

تغطية خاصة | استعدادات وزارة الداخلية بالمحافظات لتأمين انتخابات مجلس الشيوخ

تغطية خاصة | استعدادات وزارة الداخلية بالمحافظات لتأمين انتخابات مجلس الشيوخ #تغطية_خاصة #كلنا_الجيش_المصري #احمي_نفسك_احمي_بلدك #التليفزيون_المصري #قناة_مصر...

Minister of Health Hala Zayed said 2,858 ambulance vehicles and 11 water ambulances were deployed nationwide, to secure the Senate elections in terms of the medical situation, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

In a virtual meeting with heads of health directorates and top health officials, Zayed said the plan also includes raising the degree of readiness to the utmost in general and central hospitals and intensifying the presence of medical teams in the emergency departments.

Concerning medical teams, the statement quoted the minister as saying that 7,000 highly-trained teams will be deployed around polling stations nationwide.

The Ministry also urged all voters not to abandon their face masks during casting their ballots, Wednesday, in order to avoid spreading COVID-19 among citizens.

لقاء خاص مع وزيرة الصحة من داخل غرفة عمليات الوزارة لمتابعة سير انتخابات مجلس الشيوخ

أخبار_TeN | لقاء خاص مع وزيرة الصحة من داخل غرفة عمليات الوزارة لمتابعة سير انتخابات مجلس الشيوخ اشترك في القناة الرسمية ليصلك كل جديد http://bit.ly/TeNTV ت...

Concerning security, in implementation of the directives of the General Command of the Armed Forces to secure the 2020 Senate elections and provide areas of electoral commissions to confront any potential hostilities.

For their part, a number of citizens participating in the elections expressed their appreciation for the great role played by the Armed Forces and the civil police to secure the electoral process with integrity and impartiality to maintain the stability of the homeland.

استمرار أعمال التأمين للقوات المسلحة

الموقع الرسمى لوزارة الدفاع المصرية : www.mod.gov.eg

High turnout was reportedly recognized nationwide among men and women.

Also, the turnout of the elderly in the elections was noticeable in Greater Cairo, encompassing Cairo, Giza, and Qalyubia governorates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Officials including Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, Pope Twadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark Diocese, Grand Mufti Shawki Alam and Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aaal casted their vote.

 

 

 

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Education Minister Tarek Shawki, Minister of Finance Mohamed Mait, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of State for Military production Mohamed Ahmed Morsi, Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek al-Molla, Chairman of the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) Abdel Moneim al-Taras, Governor of Cairo Khaled Abdel Aal and Chairman of Egyptian Stock Exchange Mohamed Farid.