Egyptians
will be heading to the polls from 10th to 12th December to elect a
president who will steer the affairs of the country for the next six years. This is the third time electorates will be
going to the polls to elect a president after the coup d’état in 2013. Unlike previous
years when presidential elections took place every four years, the 2019
constitutional amendments in Egypt extended the length of presidential terms to
six years. Hence, an incumbent or a past president can stand for a third term.
Who
are the Contestants?
Four
aspirants are contesting for the presidency including the incumbent Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi who is currently serving as Egypt’s sixth president. The other
candidates include Farid Zahran of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party,
Abdel-Sanad Yamana of the Wafd Party and Hazem Omar, of the Republican People’s
Party.
How
is the Electoral Process Like?
According
to the Egyptian constitution, electoral procedures should begin a minimum of
120 days before the end of the current presidential term. The National
Elections Authority, through its official verified Facebook page announced that
it launched a database which includes all names and addresses of polling
stations across the country, with all data specific to the polling station in
which each citizen will cast his vote.
The NEA’s website also allows citizens to request information about
their electoral location and verify their votes in the electoral process,
according to the national number. Citizens are also given the privilege to
change their stations via the website to cast their votes provided the station
is within the jurisdiction of the electoral home. According to the NEA, the
electoral process outside Egypt took place in 137 embassies and consulates in
121 countries from 1st to 3rd December.
A
second round of voting (runoff) would take place on January 5-7 2024 for
Egyptians living abroad and on January 8-10 2024 in Egypt if no candidate is
successful at securing more than 50% of the vote. However, the NEA will
announce the final result on 18th December if there is no runoff.
How
many Eligible Voters are Expected to Take Part in the Exercise?
About 67 million voters including
those living abroad and within Egypt are registered and eligible to exercise
their franchise according to the National Elections Authority.
Who
is Eligible to Vote?
·
Three categories of persons stand a
chance of casting their ballot in the upcoming general elections. They include:
Persons who have attained the voting age of 18 and above; Citizens
whose data are recorded in the voter database; Citizens with the national
number card or a valid passport containing the national number.
Who is Not Eligible to Vote?
·
Citizens who are mentally unsound
·
Convicts of theft, bribery, and other
crimes.
·
Citizens ever found guilty of disrupting
political life.
·
Citizens dismissed from government service
for committing a crime involving moral turpitude or dishonesty.
What
are the issues?
The
unrelenting economic crisis in Egypt has been the key focus area each candidate
has promised to tackle if given the mandate. According to the World Bank,
“nearly a third of Egypt’s population of 104 million people currently live
below the poverty line, and almost many are vulnerable to falling into
poverty”. Improving productivity, legislative reform, social and educational
sectors are areas the candidates have devoted to work on, in order to improve
the standard of living of Egyptian citizens.
Who
is Likely to Win?
A
number of media reports have tipped incumbent Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as most
likely to win. Sisi has won the presidency two consecutive times, in 2014 and
2018. In 2018, he won the election with 97% against his opponent. Analysts also
say that Al-Sisi “retains the backing of the security services, most
importantly the army, which has become more powerful and expanded its economic development”
Follow
the African Elections Project on Twitter and Facebook @Africanelection for more
updates.
Africanelections.org
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