“The queues of expatriates waiting to cast their ballots in the UAE reached Qatar” was one comment on social networks describing the length of the queues of people that formed to vote in the country's presidential elections. Although meant to be a joke, the comment reflected the high turnout that has far exceeded those in this year's constitutional referendum, the 2011 constitutional referendum, and the parliamentary and presidential elections that followed it. Unofficial results showed that 317,109 expats took part in the elections. More than 90 per cent of the voters chose Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as Egypt's next president. Saudi Arabia came first with 76,500 voters followed by 53,000 in Kuwait, 52,000 in UAE, 21,237 in Qatar, 19,000 in US, more that 9,000 in Italy, 6421 in Paris and 4634 in London. These results are to be confirmed by the Presidential Election Commission on 5 June. Thousands of expats flocked to polling stations carrying the Egyptian flag and singing the popular song by Hussein Al-Jasmi “Good Omen”. Many families brought their children in order to teach them the values of participation and democracy. Some expatriates in Europe carried flowers to the polls in order to celebrate the occasion, while others wore the colours of the flag to show their loyalty to their country. Ahmed, a professional who has lived in Qatar for more than 15 years, was surprised by the long queues of people waiting to have their say in the elections. “It was not only the length of the queues that amazed me; it was also the spirit and the will to participate. People sang and danced in the lines and talked to each other in a friendly manner,” he said. Ahmed had to wait a couple of hours to cast his ballot, but Dina, a special needs teacher living in Kuwait for more than 12 years, was not so lucky. She had to go three times, each time not being able to vote. She managed to vote on her fourth visit, but still had to wait in a long queue amid people singing Teslam Al-Ayady, a song, and ululating. “I was very happy when I found there was a bus to transport expatriates to the embassy and that its stop was not far from my home. I was relieved when I finally managed to cast my vote. I won't forget that moment,” she said. Ashraf, a labourer in Saudi Arabia, did not at first take part. “I did not think that not participating would affect me in any way. But when I saw the long queues and the spirit of the people, I was upset at not being part of it,” he said, envying colleagues who had travelled to Riyadh to take part in the presidential elections. Ghada, a housewife living in eastern Saudi Arabia, went with a group of friends to Bahrain to cast her vote in the embassy there because it was closer than Jeddah or Riyadh. Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi, in Slovakia on the first day of the vote, cast his vote in the Egyptian Embassy in Bratislava. After he returned from his tour, which took him to the UK and Slovakia, Fahmi expressed his pride in Egyptian participation in the elections and the civilised manner shown by those taking part. “The wide and unprecedented participation reflects the Egyptian expatriates' will to take part in building the future of their country and its modern democratic system,” he said on Friday. The operations room established one day before the expatriate elections to supervise the voting process put the number of voters at 55,000 on the first day and some 145,000 on the second, with around 230,000 on the third day and nearly 290,000 on the fourth. The number of voters reached 317,109 at the end of the election period. The new system used for the elections gives every Egyptian citizen living abroad, whether temporarily or permanently, and who is registered on the electoral roll and has a national ID card, even if expired, or a valid passport, the right to cast his or her vote in the nearest Egyptian embassy or consulate. The electoral committee in charge of procedures has taken measures to make voting easier for expatriates, among them canceling the pre-registration that had been presented as an obstacle for many voters in previous elections. However, the cancellation of the postal vote was regarded as a drawback in the elections. Voting by post, allowed in the previous parliamentary and presidential elections, was helpful for thousands of citizens, especially those living in countries like Saudi Arabia, Canada and the US where it can be difficult to travel long distances. Voting in January's referendum and in the current presidential elections is only allowed in person, a step that was not welcomed by many residents in Canada and the US, including those living far from polling stations. Although the election was at the weekend, Dahlia, one Egyptian expatriate living in the south of the US, had not been able to travel to the nearest polling station and thus had not been able to participate in the elections. Canceling the postal vote was attributed to giving equal rights to Egyptians living inside and outside the country, Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Atti explained. People inside Egypt have to cast their votes in person and are only allowed to use the national ID card in order to do so, he said. The expatriate vote started on 15 May and was supposed to last until 18 May. However, because of the high turnout the voting was extended for another day. The expatriate vote is being held earlier than the home vote to allow more time, including the weekend, for expatriates to vote and for the results to be sent to the elections committee. The elections will be held in Egypt itself on 26 and 27 May. The expatriate elections took place at 141 polling stations in 124 countries. The polling stations in Rome and the Vatican were merged, and others were added in Geneva, Shanghai, Frankfurt and Hamburg, Istanbul, and Aqaba. Other polling stations were closed in Somalia, Libya, Syria and the Central African Republic for political or security reasons. However, expatriates living in these countries were allowed to vote in polling stations in nearby countries or travel to Egypt to vote on 26 and 27 May. At the end of the expatriate elections, all the names of the voters who took part will be removed from the electoral roll before 26 May in order to avoid any duplication of votes. The controversy over the right of Egyptian expatriates to vote in elections dates back to April 2011, when the then cabinet announced that Egyptians living overseas should be allowed to vote in the presidential elections and referendums at embassies and consulates abroad as part of amendments to the law on political participation. In October 2011, an administrative court ruled that Egyptians living abroad had the right to cast ballots in the parliamentary polls. One month later, Egypt's then ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) passed a law regulating expatriate voting in parliamentary and presidential elections and in referendums, allowing expatriates to vote in embassies and consulates in the countries in which they lived.
