Egyptian interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Sunday vowed to allow Egyptians abroad to cast their ballots in the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled to start on 28 November. In a Facebook message, Sharaf stressed respect for people's constitutional rights. He added that the government hopes to remove legislative and executive obstacles facing expats' participation in elections, no matter how difficult those obstacles are. In recent weeks tension has arisen between government officials and the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces over technical and procedural difficulties facing expatriate voting. Experts believe that Egyptians abroad, who are estimated at 8 million and whose remittances form one source of the country's national income, should have the right to take part in the polls. This argument is supported by presidential hopefuls. Last Thursday, the State Council's Administrative Court issued a decree granting Egyptian expats the right to vote in the elections through the offices of Egyptian diplomatic missions. The Foreign Ministry said it was ready to enforce the verdict. Its spokesperson, Amr Roshdy, said on Thursday that the ministry does not have the final word on the issue, adding that any decision reached over that matter will be applied through Egypt's embassies and consulates. On Sunday, dozens of UK-based Egyptians protested outside the Egyptian Embassy in London to demand participation in the electoral process. Translated from the Arabic Edition
