CAIRO: The Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) announced Wednesday that elections will be repeated for the workers' seat in the first constituency of Daqahleya on Jan. 14-15. The run-offs are slated for Jan. 18-19. SEC upheld the results of the closed party lists and the professionals' seat. The Egyptian Bloc slammed SEC's decision saying that it didn't await the final verdict of the Supreme Administrative Court expected on Saturday, adding that it didn't comply with the Administrative Court's verdict either. "SEC made up a decision that has nothing to do with court orders," Mohamed Allam, who tops the Bloc's list in the first constituency in Daqahleya, told Daily News Egypt. Candidate Mohamed Abdel Salam Oweidy was double-listed on the Egyptian Bloc's party list and on the individual candidates' ballot paper in the first constituency, causing the Administrative Court to issue a verdict to halt the run-offs in this constituency and order a repeat of the elections. SEC appealed the court's verdict and is awaiting the final decision by the Supreme Administrative Court. On the other hand, the FJP welcomed SEC's decision which came in favor of the sweeping victory for their candidate on the professionals' seat in the first constituency of the capital city of Mansoura, Yousry Hani. FJP candidate Tarek Qutb was competing over the farmers-workers' seat in the run-offs against former MP and member of the disbanded National Democratic Party (NDP) Wahid Fouda, before the run-offs were canceled. "The administrative mistake only affected the elections over the workers' seat where Oweidy was wrongfully listed, but it didn't affect the rest of the elections," said Mohamed El-Eraqy, FJP media coordinator in Daqahleya. However, Allam maintained that Oweidy was listed on the professionals' seat in the individual candidates' list, not the workers' seat. Elections will also be repeated on the same date in South Sinai as well as for the single winner seats in the third constituency of Qena which comprises Nagaa Hammadi and Disht. The Administrative Court in Mansoura had issued another verdict on Tuesday annulling the elections on the closed party list in the third constituency of Daqahleya including Mit-Ghamr and Aga. El-Eraqy said there was an unexplained significant discrepancy in the number of votes on the individual candidates system and the closed party list, resulting in the court order. The parties are awaiting the final verdict by the Supreme Administrative Court which will decide if the elections will be repeated in this constituency.
