Saturday, November 5, 2011

Legal and logistical obstacles preventing expat Egyptians from voting

Foreign-based Egyptians


The Supreme Electoral Committee says obstacles face expatriate Egyptians who want to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Egyptians abroad were finally given leave to vote in this month’s anticipated ballot after prolonged talks. Practically speaking, however, they might be left out.
The Supreme Electoral Committee announced after a lengthy meeting with representatives of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) as well as the interior and foreign ministries that some barriers lie ahead of foreign-based Egyptian voters.
The legal barrier is that Article 39 of the constitutional declaration has to be amended to allow expats to vote without compulsory judicial supervision. The law must allow Egyptian diplomats abroad to fill that responsibility.
Moreover, there is no database for foreign-based Egyptians, while some Egyptian embassies are too small to receive voters.
The Supreme Electoral Committee is still considering solutions. Parliamentary elections kick off 28 November.

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