New York—A mobilization campaign is being launched in the United States to gather expatriate Egyptians together to push for legal changes to allow them to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Yehia el-Gamal, a legal expert, said he agreed to supervise the campaign and will examine the legal status of Egyptians living in the United States and their eligibility to vote in the election. He has already gathered hundreds of people, he said. One possibility is to set up polling stations at Egyptian consulates in the United States for expatriate Egyptians, he said. Several prominent figures including Gamal Mubarak, Fathi Sorour and Safwat el-Sherif have been invited to a conference titled, “The Future of Democracy in Egypt” which begins today in New York, said Sabri el-Baga, general coordinator for the Alliance of Egyptian-Americans. Mubarak and Sorour did not decline, el-Baga said, while el-Sherif sent a letter accepting the invitation, but he has not turned up yet. Several figures from the Egyptian elite will attend the conference including Yehia el-Gamal, Osama el-Ghazali Harb, Hassan Nafa, Gouda Abdel Khaleq, Mahmoud el-Khodeiry, George Ishaq, Amr Hamzawi, in addition to officials from Congress and the US State Department. Ayman Nour, founder of the Ghad Party, was supposed to attend the conference but failed to show up because he did not receive permission from the Attorney General to travel outside Egypt. Mahmoud el-Shazli, president of the Alliance of Egyptian-Americans said he sent letters to the Egyptian foreign and interior ministers urging them to allow expatriate Egyptians in the United States to vote in the upcoming elections. Egyptian-Americans are also being encouraged to register their names with the alliance, which will help them obtain voting cards. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
