Seventy nine domestic civil society groups and five foreign organisations — the European Union (EU), the Arab League, the Carter Center, Transparency International and the US-based Democracy International (DI) — have been licensed to observe the presidential polls, says Abdel-Aziz Salman, spokesman for the Presidential Election Commission (PEC). Though just two candidates are standing in this year's elections “the number of local and foreign monitors observing the presidential polls far exceeds the number registered in the 2012 election when 13 candidates ran for office,” said Salman. “The initial reaction of the EU and the US to the ousting of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from office was negative, with Western media still branding the overthrow a military coup,” points out Hafez Abu Seada, chairman of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights. “Almost a year later the EU and the US are having a change of heart, the clearest indication of which is that they have decided to accept the status quo and take part in monitoring the poll.” Egypt's interim authorities are keen the election process receive international validation. “This explains why permissions have been granted to a record number of local and foreign monitors,” says Abu Seada. “The moral and political approval of monitors from the EU and the US will support the argument that Egypt is moving towards democracy.” “The US-based Democracy International is a private American NGO funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and we look forward to its independent and professional analysis of the vitally important election,” announced Marc Sievers, the US embassy in Egypt's charge d'affaires. Senior American officials, including US Secretary of State John Kerry, have said fair elections and an inclusive democracy in Egypt are a condition for resuming military and economic assistance. On 13 April the European Union delegation to Egypt and the PEC agreed to set up an Election Observation Mission. The agreement, which allows the unobstructed movement of EU observers throughout the country and access to all legal political parties, was preceded by a visit to Egypt by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. The EU decision to send observers was not unopposed. Western media reports cite significant voices in favour of the deployment and others critical of it. The latter argued the EU should not engage in any monitoring of the Egyptian presidential election process since it would fail to meet EU's standards of free and fair ballots. During her Cairo visit Ashton said she was pleased the EU would be sending an observation mission. “The EU wants the people of Egypt to move forward, and we do want these elections to herald the beginning of the next phase of life in Egypt.” The PEC agreement with the EU to monitor the presidential elections will add to their legitimacy, says Abu Seada. “Heavy foreign monitoring the polls sends a strong message to Muslim Brotherhood and its allies that the international community, including the EU and the US, are no longer on their side and calls for restoring the pre-30 June legitimacy now fall on deaf ears.” Ashton said she had been unable to meet Brotherhood officials during her Cairo visit due to “logistical difficulties”. The Brotherhood claims Ashton did not try to contact the group before the trip. The Brotherhood anti-coup alliance denounced her visit as “evil”. According to Salman 120 Egyptian NGOs and 13 international organisations applied for monitoring status. The spokesman added that the EU will be sending 150 observers, the Arab League 70, “an unprecedented number of foreign observers and the first time so many have been accredited”. Some organisations that failed to be accredited may, Salman said, be accorded guest status, similar to that already granted to the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) and the National Council for Women. EU monitors met this week with representatives from the Ibn Khaldun Centre for Development Studies, a local NGO with experience of observing elections. Dahlia Ziada, Executive director of the Centre, said the EU mission included diplomats and parliamentarians from several European countries. The two will cooperate in monitoring the application of campaign rules, the impartiality of government authorities and of media coverage as well as observing the ballot. Salman revealed that 36 of the 44 national and international media institutions, and 13 of the 18 satellite television channels that applied to cover the elections had been granted permission. Journalists from 36 Egyptian press organisations and nine news portals were also granted permission to cover the polls. “Foreign and local observers will take part in monitoring 14,000 polling stations across Egypt. These stations will be under the full supervision of 16,000 judges.”
