NGOs and legal experts have been pressing for Egyptian expatriates to vote, Mona El-Nahhas reports Realising that the parliamentary and presidential polls of this year and next could be a turning point in the country's future, Egyptian expatriates have been saying they are willing to take part in shaping the nation's destiny. But Egyptian expatriates in Arab countries, Europe and America, whose number is estimated at nearly seven million, are up until now deprived of taking part in Egypt's political life. The reason has nothing to do with the law which entitles them to fully practising their political rights. It's instead a matter of administrative shackles. According to veteran judge Mahmoud El-Khodeiri, no single article, either in the law or the constitution, bans Egyptian expatriates from practising their political rights, including the right to vote. "The law does not differentiate between Egyptians living in Egypt or those living abroad," said El-Khodeiri who resigned in 2009 from his post as deputy chief justice of the Cassation Court in protest against the lack of an independent judiciary. "The core of the issue is that the government is rather reluctant to enable Egyptian expatriates to vote," El-Khodeiri told Al-Ahram Weekly, revealing that he and legal expert Yehia El-Gamal are now in the process of preparing a lawsuit before the Administrative Judiciary asking the government to activate expatriates' right to vote. "It's totally wrong to cut expatriate connections with their country by banning them from taking part in political life," El-Khodeiri said. In a recent statement, the Civil Coalition for Democratic Reform, called Sharek or Participate, criticised the stand adopted by the head of the supreme committee supervising Shura Council polls, judge Intessar Nessim, regarding the participation of Egyptian expatriates in the voting process. Three weeks ahead of the Shura polls, which were staged on Tuesday, Nessim announced that any Egyptian expatriate willing to cast his or her vote should apply for an electoral card at the Egyptian embassy or consulate in the country where they live. "The embassy or consulate will address the Interior Ministry for issuance of the card. Upon his arrival, the expatriate will receive the card and go to his own constituency to cast his vote," Nessim stated. "Such complicated procedures will of course cause a large sector of Egyptian expatriates to give up the idea of voting," Walid Farouk, head of the National Society for Defending Freedoms and Rights, told the Weekly. "Around 120 world nations enable their expatriates to vote in the country where they live by setting up voting committees in embassies and consulates. Why do we insist on putting all these procedural hurdles in front of our expatriates who are willing to participate?" Farouk asked. Farouk's society, together with two other NGOs, form the Sharek coalition which was founded in 2008 to enhance public participation in political life. Enabling Egyptian expatriates to vote is one of the main targets of the coalition since, it says, expatriates are Egyptians who should not be deprived of such a right. According to Farouk, the coalition will first address all authorities concerned, including the interior and foreign ministries, as well as the supreme committee supervising polls, to reach a formula that will facilitate the measures required for allowing Egyptian expatriates to vote. Failing to reach such a formula, the coalition will file a lawsuit at the State Council calling for Egyptian expatriates to be able to vote. Before taking such a step, the coalition will seek proxies from expatriates willing to sue the Egyptian government. Egyptians in the European Federation recently vowed to organise large scale protests in front of Egyptian embassies and consulates in all European countries if they are not allowed to cast their vote in the countries in which they live. Expatriates wishing to share in Egypt's political life have notably increased since 2005 which perhaps by coincidence marked the start of widespread political action in Egypt. The coming of former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed El-Baradei and his possible run in the presidential polls has also encouraged expats to participate. "Enabling expatriates to vote in polls will be a remarkable step towards political reform," Farouk said.
