Arab League to participate in monitoring Egypt's Senate elections

CAIRO - 9 August 2020: The Arab League (AL) on Sunday announced that it will take part in monitoring the Senate election slated for August 11-12.


The announcement comes after Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit received a request from Head of the National Elections Authority (NEA) Counselor Lasheen Ibrahim to monitor the Senate polls.


The observers' mission is chaired by an AL assistant secretary-general and head of the oversight sector Ahmed Rachid Khattabi and a number of the Pan-Arab body staff from 10 Arab countries.


The AL mission is due to make field visits across the nation to monitor the elections, per the legal system governing the electoral process and the NEA's decisions.


In June, The Egyptian Parliament gave 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.


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.


A voter in the Senate Elections this year selects a number of candidates representing the number of seats required in the individual system, in addition to one of the candidates lists in his constituency from among 4 constituencies, each representing a number of governorates.


As they are not allowed to go to embassies like they used to do every election, Egyptian expatriates in 124 countries will be participating in the elections remotely by sending their votes via mail as part of the precautionary coronavirus related measures.


Egyptians who have a valid passport or national ID and registered in the voters’ lists are entitled to cast their ballots in the elections, according to the National Election Authority (NEA).


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.


In case of a re-election, the ballot will be held abroad on Sunday and Monday (September 6 and 7).