A ministerial committee in Egypt on Monday agreed to amend the political rights law, allowing Egyptians abroad to vote in parliamentary and presidential elections. Government sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the legislative Ministerial Committee presented its recommendations to the government, and they will be discussed during its next meeting. The political rights law, which was in force before the suspension of the 1971 Constitution, codifies the participation of Egyptians in elections, but does not allow Egyptians living abroad to vote in elections. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said on Sunday that he will do his best to ensure the voting rights of Egyptians living abroad, after Egyptian communities abroad recently escalated their demands that they be granted the right to vote in upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections. A government spokesman announced the move on Saturday. However, he said that it would be difficult to do so in time for upcoming parliamentary elections due to the complicated procedures involved. In the past, the General Union of Egyptians Abroad, which includes Egyptians from the US, Europe, and Asia, demanded they be given the right to run as candidates in the presidential and parliamentary elections. The newly announced Constitutional Declaration, by which Egypt will be governed during the current transition period, bans those married to non-Egyptians and those carrying dual nationalities to run in presidential races. Translated from the Arabic Edition
