Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday directed the National Election Authority to investigate appeals related to events that occurred during the first phase of the country's parliamentary elections last week, and said the vote could be cancelled if necessary. In a post on his social media accounts, Sisi said he had been informed of "events that took place in some electoral districts" where there was competition between individual candidates. "These events are subject to examination and resolution by the National Election Authority exclusively, which is an independent body in its work according to its founding law," Sisi wrote. "I ask the esteemed Authority to be extremely thorough when examining these events and the appeals submitted regarding them, and to make decisions that please God and honestly reveal the true will of the voters," he added. The president stated that the authority should ensure that each candidate's representative received a copy of the vote count from the sub-committee "so that the members of the House of Representatives are true representatives of the Egyptian people." "The Authority should not hesitate to make the right decision if it is impossible to determine the true will of the voters, whether by completely cancelling this phase of the elections, or partially cancelling it in one or more districts, with the respective elections to be held later," Sisi said. Sisi also called on the authority to announce the measures taken regarding campaign violations to ensure effective oversight and prevent their recurrence in the remaining electoral rounds. Following the president's directive, the head of the National Election Authority, Hazem Badawy, said at a press conference that the necessary decisions would be taken, even if it meant cancelling the entire election or the vote in some districts. "The great people of Egypt, in the context of the Authority's commitment to the integrity of the electoral process and its belief in the principle of transparency, the Authority affirms that it is not immune to all the events that occurred in the electoral process, and that it has nothing to hide," Badawy said. "We are judges who fear God, and we are still examining all the appeals." "The Authority is keen to conduct the elections in the best legal and fair manner," he added. Voting in the first phase of the elections for the House of Representatives, the country's main parliamentary chamber, took place on Nov. 10 and 11 across 14 of Egypt's governorates. The elections are to choose a new lower house of parliament for the next five years. Egyptian expatriates cast their ballots at embassies and consulates in 117 countries on Friday and Saturday.
