General Mamdouh Shahin, member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, denied the endorsement of amendments to a political rights law that would grant the military and police the right to vote in elections. Shahin made the statement during an interview with TV show “Our Country in Egyptian” on ONTV an hour after the cabinet announced the amendments on its official Facebook page. The Middle East News Agency (MENA) confirmed that the cabinet approved during its meeting on Thursday amendments to Law 73. According to MENA, Ahmad al-Siman, the prime minister's media advisor, announced the details of the amendments, saying the cabinet agreed to remove a clause from the law that bars the military and police from voting and add one granting Egyptians living abroad the right to vote. The cabinet also approved adding members of the judiciary's state cases division and administrative prosecution agencies to the Supreme Electoral Commission. The changes also stipulate that the People's Assembly law will determine whether Egypt's electoral system will be candidate-centered, based on proportional representation, or a mixed system. According to Siman, the amendments are to be presented to judicial agencies and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for approval. Siman also said Information Minister Maged Othman made a presentation on electronic voting procedures during the meeting. According to Othman, e-voting would cost LE200 million during an election and LE100 million during the ballot counting phase. He did not say how much Egypt's current paper ballot system costs the state.
