At a press conference on Thursday addressing electoral reform, Major-General Mamdouh Shahin of the SCAF confirmed the voting rights of all Egyptian – including those of us currently living abroad. Yet this news was cold comfort to many expats after a week of confusion and inconsistency. Just a week prior, the same spokesman had declared to OnTV viewers that the issue of our enfranchisement remained unresolved. Meanwhile, both AhramOnline and al-Masry al-Youm published statements by anonymous high-ranking sources claiming that expatriate polling would pose too great a logistical challenge. The al-Masry al-Youm source added that Egyptians abroad do not have the knowledge or interest to vote responsibly. The thought that our democratic rights would be suddenly and unceremoniously revoked – and with such limp and condescending reasoning – provoked a strong reaction. The SCAF subsequently denied these rumors on their Facebook page some hours later. These episodes demonstrated the tenuous nature of our voting rights. We were convinced, rightly, that as easily as they were promised, they could be taken away. Thursday's confirmation was a step in the right direction, but the devil is still in the details. The announcement added nothing concrete to the constitutional declaration in March that first affirmed the expatriate franchise. Moreover, the draft law's provisions on judicial supervision present a disconcerting caveat: will consular officials have the authority to oversee polling or will the presence of Egyptian judges be required everywhere, even abroad? In light of these developments, it is critical that the provisional government take definitive action to support a secure and transparent voting process for Egyptians abroad and clearly communicate how these efforts will be coordinated in time for the September elections. This is a matter that affects all Egyptians, both at home and away. Compromising our constitutional voting rights would signal a regression in Egypt's transition from dictatorship to democracy. Any sign of wavering or back-peddling should raise alarm among Egyptians everywhere about the depth of the provisional government's commitment to nurturing Egypt's fledgling democratic values and institutions. By most estimates, there are between 4 and 8 million Egyptians living abroad, representing up to nine percent of all Egyptian nationals. Like most people in diaspora, we live abroad for all sorts of reasons, voluntarily and involuntarily. We are students traveling to bring back new resources and expertise. We are temporary migrant workers, trying to earn a living and hoping to return with skills and experience. We are refugees and exiles, forced to leave in sadness or desperation by discrimination, economic devastation, or repression under the old regime. Nonetheless, we are fiercely proud of our heritage. We are unofficial ambassadors and travel agents — endlessly dispensing advice and encouragement to friends and strangers to visit Egypt. We teach our children about Egypt. We stay up into the late hours writing and phoning our loved ones back home, and following the minutiae of Egypt's political developments. We travel to Egypt as often as we can afford. Revolution leader Wael Ghonim was one such Egyptian, having lived in Dubai for a number of years, but never losing sight of his hopes and aspirations for freedom and democracy in Egypt. His heart, like ours, was always there. Those who oppose extending Egypt's new democracy to all its citizens will not succeed by trying to incite populist xenophobia – after all, they are speaking to our own parents, children, siblings, and neighbors. And our family ties make us vital to Egypt's economy: We contribute about $8 billion USD annually through wage remittances. The right of expatriates to vote is guaranteed by most functioning democracies – and even some troubled and under-resourced states like Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Over half a million members of the Sudanese diaspora were eligible to vote in the recent secession referendum at polling stations set up in eight countries. Last year, Turkey drafted new legislation allowing any citizen living abroad to vote after the European court of human rights ruled that forcing people to travel long distances to vote would violate human rights. Do Egyptians deserve any less than our neighbors? Running efficient, credible overseas polls for Egyptians is feasible if there is political will. True, Egyptian workers in some Gulf countries face obstacles to free voting when their employers hold their passports. But there are simple and effective ways to avoid irregularity and any number of models to follow to ensure transparency. The Iraqi electoral commission has organized intricate and effective voter registration and polling procedures with assistance from various UN agencies and NGOs. Iraqis abroad are not only afforded an accessible and reliable process with clean polling, but are also entitled to voter education classes along with other ways to stay politically connected to Iraq through the electoral commission's many international offices. The Egyptian provisional government and the SCAF should be engaging its citizens abroad and welcoming our obvious desire to help rebuild Egypt into a prosperous and liberated country. Instead of questioning the loyalty of Egyptian expatriates, they should help strengthen the bond between Egypt and its extensive diaspora. Promises have been made, but no tangible steps have yet been taken, and time is running short. We are already invested in Egypt, financially and emotionally. We must have the means to participate politically as well. ** Sarah Ghabrial is a coordinating committee member of the Alliance for a Democratic Egypt: www.allforegypt.org. She is currently completing a doctorate in Middle East legal history at McGill University. BM
