CAIRO: Around 100,000 Egyptian national living abroad have registered to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Egypt, out of an estimated 8 million expat nationals. The majority of registered expat voters reside in Saudi Arabia, counting for almost 41,000 of the total 99,120 expats registered. Only 5,000 Egyptians in the United States have registered to vote. Voting registration for expat nationals began on November 10, and will last for two weeks, ending on November 24. The right to vote for Egyptian expat nationals was a massive victory for many who had campaigned for years to gain this right. Egyptian expats launched a Right2Vote campaign, using social media to connect and advocate for the right to vote with the popular hashtags #egyabroad and #right2vote on Twitter. The campaign's demands were met in an October 25 court ruling that declared that Egyptian nationals living abroad could vote under the supervision of local Egyptian embassies and consulates. Any Egyptian granted an identification card before September 27, 2011 is eligible to vote. Those who were issued an identification card after September 27, 2011 are not eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections, but are qualified to vote in referendum and presidential elections, anticipated for sometime in 2013. Egypt's parliamentary elections are scheduled to begin on November 28, and will take place in several phases, with upper house elections ending on March 24, 2012. The new parliament will adjourn on March 17, 2012. Egyptian expats were anticipated to change the face of the upcoming elections Those wishing to register to vote can do so on the High Electoral Committee's officials website www.elections2011.eg. BM
