The official voting results for Egyptian expats will be announced on Wednesday by the General Committee for Egyptians Abroad. According to the Presidential Elections Commission (PEC), the vote counts will take place at the committee's headquarters in the presence of representatives of the contesting candidates and media, in addition to local and foreign organisations authorised to observe the election. Voting for expats took place between 15 and 19 May. On Tuesday, Egyptian state news agency MENA released unofficial results of voting by expatriates, with results showing a huge lead for ex-army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi over his only competitor, leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi. MENA quoted Egyptian ambassadors, consuls and embassy statements as sources for the count. The foreign ministry said over 300,000 people voted. In the run-off in the 2012 presidential poll – between Islamist Mohamed Morsi and Hosni Mubarak-era prime minister Ahmed Shafiq – 301,720 expatriates cast their ballots out of 586,804 eligible voters, a turnout of 52.3 percent. Voting in the first round of the poll, which lasted a week, saw 311,875 ballots cast. Unlike the 2012 election, however, voting via mail or email was no longer an option this year, as expat voters had to be physically present at embassies and consulates. However, whether permanently residing overseas or temporarily out of the country for any reason, Egyptians abroad were allowed to cast their votes without prior registration. The domestic vote will take place across Egypt on 26-27 May. Source : Ahram online
