1st stage of Egyptian parliamentary run-offs kicks off Monday

Source: 
al-Ahram
Publication date: 
Nov 22 2020

The run-off will be limited to candidates running under the individual candidacy system. Voting on both days starts at 9 AM and ends at 9 PM.

Polling stations in 13 Egyptian governorates are set to receive citizens on 23-24 November to cast their ballots in the run-off of the first stage of the House of Representatives elections amid strict Coronavirus measures.

The run-off will be limited to candidates running under the individual candidacy system. Voting on both days starts at 9 AM and ends at 9 PM.

Local Development Minister Mahmoud Shaarawy has urged the governors of the 14 governorates to raise the state of preparedness to receive voters and ban all forms of election campaigning, a statement by the ministry read on Sunday.

The governorates included in the run-off election are Giza, Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Assiut, El-Wadi El-Gedid, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria, Beheira, and Matrouh.

Shaarawy affirmed the importance of implementing precautionary procedures at all polling stations in the face of the novel Coronavirus, including disinfecting the voting booth before and after the voting process.

The minister also called on voters to adhere to wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing, stressing the need for the presence of disinfectants in the polling stations.

Shaarawy said his ministry continuously communicates with the operations’ chambers of the concerned governorates to ensure securing appropriate voting areas for older people and people with disabilities.

He ordered the set up of sunshades in the face of probable bad weather, noting that groups of young people will be present in the polling stations to guide voters.

Egyptian expats have been given the chance to cast their vote for the first stage’s run-off on 21-23 November, with polling stations set to shut their doors at 9 PM local time on the last day, Monday.

The turnout in the first stage's elections, which were held in October, was 28.06 percent, with the number of people casting their vote amounting to slightly more than 9 million out of 31.7 million eligible voters in the 14 governorates included in this phase.

Meanwhile, the run-off of the second stage, which includes the remaining 13 governorates, will be held in December.

The remaining seats that are up for grabs in the run-offs of both stages total 211 seats, including 110 seats in the first stage only.

In both stages, the electoral list led by Mostaqbal Watan Party has secured an easy win of 284 seats reserved to four-party list districts, thus getting half of parliament's seats.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/394335/Egypt/Politics-/st-s...