Naguib Gabriel, head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights said that Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and head of the Coptic Church would vote from the United States. Gabriel told German news agency DBA the Pope would vote through the power of attorney which is legally permissible. The Pope went to New York on November 16 for medical tests at the Cleveland Clinic. Tests conducted on the Pope included tests on his heart and kidneys which had been damaged after an accident and surgery in 2008. Voting in the first phase of parliamentary elections in Egypt began Monday morning in nine governorates.