CAIRO: Egypt's High Committee of Elections announced today that parliamentary elections will be held in November. This way Egyptian pilgrims will have time to return to Egypt to vote. Regarding the right of Egyptians living abroad to vote in national elections, the committee head, Abdel Moez Ibrahim, said the issue needs a political resolution. Ibrahim said the election committee will hold its first meeting on Monday. He said the main priority for the committee will be to train judges on how to follow and supervise the next elections. He said the next elections will be subject to full judicial supervision. Ibrahim said it is being considered whether holding the elections of both the People's Assembly and the Shura Council in one day is possible. If so, he said the elections committees for each election will be separate. Guarantees of the elections' integrity will be based on the people's desire, he said, which supports free and fair elections. He called on the Egyptian people to participate in the elections, saying their participation will be the main guarantee of the elections' integrity. Ibrahim said the committee does not oppose international observation of elections. He added, however, that the decision does not fall to the committee. The next elections will be based on the principle of citizenship, he said, adding that the committee will not allow religious slogans to be used. The parliamentary elections will be the first elections held after Egypt's January 25 Revolution, which toppled 30-year ruler Hosni Mubarak from power in February. Mubarak, 83, goes on trial for murdering demonstrators and corruption on August 3.
