The African Union will send a mission of parliamentarians, journalists and civil society representatives to monitor the upcoming presidential elections, Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty said on Wednesday. The mission will include more than 50 observers from various African countries and will be headed by "a high level African personality," Abdelatty added in a statement by the Foreign Ministry. "The [African] Union has taken this important step in response to an invitation by the Egyptian government..." he said, adding that this step will be followed by other "positive steps towards restoring the Egyptian role within the framework of the African Union." In July, two days after the removal of former president Mohamed Morsi, the African Union's (AU) Peace and Security Council suspended Egypt's activities within the union. The decision was strongly criticised by the Egyptian government but the African Union has stood by it. In January, the African Union High-Level Panel for Egypt "affirmed the correctness" of its July decision. Abdelatty said the decision to monitor the elections comes after "intensified efforts" by Egyptian diplomacy over the past few months and continuous communication with officials in the African Union Commission and African states through visits by Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmy. The African Union's mission will observe the elections in several governorates across the country. The upcoming elections are slated to be held on 26 and 27 May and a second round, if required, will be held on 16 and 17 June. Abdelatty said an "introductory delegation" will arrive in Egypt on 17 May and the rest of the mission will arrive on 20 May.
