CAIRO, March 13, 2018 - The head of the National Election Authority (NEA), Justice Lashin Ibrahim said that all the arrangements for Egyptian expats to vote in the forthcoming presidential election, set for March 16-18, have been completed. In an interview with the Middle East News Agency's Board Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Ali Hassan on Tuesday, the NEA head said that the authority had ensured the availability of ballot papers, polling booths and other requirements, inside the Egyptian embassies and consulates ahead of the vote. ìThe measures are aimed at facilitating the voting process and ensuring that all of the assigned polling stations at the embassies and consulates are properly set up, fully equipped and accessible to all,î he added. ìEvery Egyptian expatriate is eligible to cast his or her ballot in the presidential election as long as he or she holds a national ID card (even if it has expired) or a valid passport,î Lashin said. He confirmed that there are around 139 diplomatic missions in 124 countries around the world and added that the elections would be held under the full supervision of the NEA as well as local and international civil society organisations. Justice Ibrahim also said that the vote abroad would be held under the surveillance of members of the diplomatic corps in co-operation with senior officials from the Foreign Ministry. In a related context, the Egyptian embassy in Germany began preparing for the forthcoming presidential election weeks ago, by informing members of the Egyptian community inGermany of the date of the election and by holding meetings with them at the embassy headquarters and at the two Egyptian consulates in Hamburg and Frankfurt, Egypt's Ambassador to Germany Badr Abdul Aati said yesterday. "It is important to reach out to the Egyptians living in remote areas and to urge them to go to the nearest polling stations in Hamburg, Frankfurt or in Berlin," Abdul Aati said. Egypt's Ambassador to Austria Omar Amer urged the Egyptian expat community to take part in the presidential election and ignore any calls for boycotting it. In statements to MENA, Amer said that taking part in the election was a national duty and he urged Egyptians to close ranks in support of Egypt in its war against terror and its efforts to achieve comprehensive development. Amer said that the staff of the embassy had contacted the Egyptian community in Austria to explain the importance of taking part in the election and he added that the embassy would facilitate transport to its premises on the three days of voting. Egyptian expats did not have the right to vote eight years ago, but now they have that right, he noted.
