CAIRO - As Egypt goes to the polls on Sunday to elect a new legislature for the next five years, the Higher Election Commission (HEC), an independent body of judges organising legislative elections, has made pieces of advice for voters. Sunday's legislative elections in Egypt are seen as a significant stage on the way to the 2011 presidential election, after the allocation of 64 seats for women for the first time in the nation's history. Sameh el-Kashef, a spokesman for the HEC, makes some recommendations for voters to follow in order not to be denied the right to cast their ballots or face any other obstacles. • First, the voter should have an electoral ID card, a rose card with his/her electoral data, issued by the Ministry of Interior. If he does not have this card, he should have a public ID card. In both cases, the polling station staff should review the electoral schedules for his name. • Second, the voter should make sure that he/she receives two balloting papers: one for ordinary candidates in his constituency and the other for the two women-only seats. Both vote papers should be stamped with the HEC seal. • Third, the voter should never be late than 7:00pm (5:00GMT), otherwise, they will be denied entry. Voters, who are inside polling stations before this deadline, will be allowed to cast their ballots even after 7:00pm. • Fourth, voters should make sure they have a kind of privacy while casting their ballots. They can use a curtained corner established for this inside the polling stations. Also, make sure the staff of the process put the vote papers each in its box. Note: there are one ballot box for ordinary candidates and another for women-only seats. • Fifth, the voter should never write his/her name or any other sign on the paper. He can only tick (using any sign) the box opposite the candidates he elects. Each voter should tick only two candidates: one for the professional seat and the other for workers and farmers seat. Note: a voter can never elect two professional candidates but he/she can elect two candidates belonging to workers and farmers. • Sixth, after casting the ballot, a voter should dip his/her thumb in a phosphoric fluid that cannot be removed before 24 hours to make sure the voter would not cast the ballot twice. • Seventh, a voter should never take any unstamped paper votes or even stamped ones from persons outside the polling stations. • Eighth, a voter should never talk with representatives of the candidates inside the polling stations. If a voter makes trouble inside the station, the staff managing the process is authorised to cancel his/her vote and call for security to get him out. • Ninth, a voter should never be allowed into the polling station carrying any kind of weapon. Photographing, videotaping or any kind of recording is banned inside the stations. • Tenth, in case the voter does not find his/her name in election lists and he does not have an electoral ID card, he/she will not be allowed to vote. Expatriates, military men and policemen have no right to vote. The website for the HEC is www.elections.gov.eg and any complaints can be faxed to it on 02/241/426/15 or phoned on 02/241/426/13-19.
