CAIRO: Head of the Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) Abdel Moez Ibrahim said Wednesday that US Ambassador Anne Patterson's visit to a polling station is normal and that it is not the first time an accredited foreign diplomat does so. "This should not raise any suspicions. The US ambassador is like any other foreign ambassador to Egypt. They are entitled to observe the electoral process,” Ibrahim said in a press conference Wednesday, urging the media not to blow the issue out of proportion. "It is normal according to international laws and the principle of reciprocity," he added. As for the breaches that took place during the first day of the second round of elections, Ibrahim said that some candidates violated the campaigning ban on election day. "Although the SEC has placed strict rules about this, there are some parties that continue campaigning on election day," he said, asking media and the public to combine their efforts and file complaints immediately against such illegal practices. Candidates who are proven to have broken this law will be disqualified immediately, he said. "However, I need legal documents or filed reports to investigate and punish such offenders," he added, pointing out that administrative bodies are responsible for implementing the rule by banning candidates from campaigning. Ibrahim also announced that the Supreme Administrative Court issued a ruling to postpone elections in three party lists constituencies in Menufiya, Sohag and Beheira until Dec. 21-22 during the run-offs of the single-winner seats because of mistakes in the ballot papers. "This postponement cost us millions of pounds to reprint the ballots and transport them to Sohag by air, but we were keen on complying with the court ruling,” he said. Responding to a question about a lawsuit filed by a number of visually impaired citizens who claim they were unable to vote, Ibrahim denied that such cases exist. "Their right to vote is enshrined in law and so is the mechanism by which they can vote either with help from a companion or the judge presiding over their electoral committee," he explained. Referring to the case of detained blogger and activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, Ibrahim said that the police are obliged to facilitate his voting since he is detained pending investigation and no final verdict has been issued against him. He added, however, that SEC did not receive any request from the police regarding special arrangements to facilitate Abdel Fattah's vote.
