The government is considering allowing Egyptian expatriates to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has said. Amr Roshdy, the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, told reporters that the ministry will then implement the government's decision. Informed sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the ministry has prepared several studies on how Egyptians living abroad can vote. The sources said several Egyptian embassies in countries that host sizable Egyptian communities, particularly in the Gulf, have contributed to these studies. The sources also said that the Egyptian government has yet to make a decision on the participation of expats in the forthcoming elections. In August, Telecommunications Minister Mohamed Salem said technical and organizational difficulties may hamper the participation of expats in the polls. He said these problems could not be resolved ahead of the parliamentary vote, slated for November. Experts say that there are around eight million expatriates who send remittances to Egypt and contribute to its gross domestic product, and they should therefore be given the right to vote.
