Months before the next parliamentary elections and one and a half year before the presidential elections, many seem to be busy thinking of how best every body could be engaged. It is Egyptians living abroad who are taking centre stage in discussions on the elections in the homeland these days. Nationally minded experts are thinking of how best expatriates can have a say in the elections. "Some ways must be found to enable the Egyptians living abroad to cast their vote in the elections," said Mohamed el-Sadat, a political activist and the nephew of Egypt's late president Anwar El-Sadat. "These people can't come here especially for the elections," he told a recent gathering at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. The inability of Egyptians living overseas to cast their votes in general elections in Egypt has been a divisive issue for a long time here. While human rights groups called for incorporating these people in the electoral process, the Government seemed to have heeded the call. Around 7.5 million Egyptians are estimated to be living outside this country of 80 million. Some organisations say the number could be higher, the thing that makes the need for their taking part in elections all the more important. Katenca Slavo, a specialist on elections from Romania, said democracy made it necessary for governments to seek ways to help citizens living overseas to be part of the electoral process. "But still distances create problems in this regard," she added. She said Egyptians living abroad could utilize the international web to vote in elections. "Egyptian consulates abroad can also be centres for voting," she added. Many think the next parliamentary elections later this year will decide Egypt's future. In Egypt, a candidate for the presidency must get support from a certain number of legislators. So far, the ruling National Democratic Party enjoys majority in Parliament, but no body knows whether this will continue to be the case after the next parliamentary polls. The people who met at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Studies said Egypt's electoral process needed to be changed in ways that would opens the door for expatriates to help decide the results of the elections. "For this to happen, the necessary political will on the part of the Government must exist," said George Ishaq, a political activist. "We must make use of technology to encourage Egyptians to cast their votes in elections," he added.
