Egypt voids a quarter of the constituencies’ first-round parliamentary vote due to “violations”
One of the biggest disruptions to a national election in recent memory occurred Tuesday when Egypt declared parliamentary ballots invalid in more than 25% of first-round constituencies.
The first round of voting for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s final parliament, the last one permitted by the present constitution, began last week.
Both closed lists with predetermined candidates and individual candidates compete for seats under a hybrid system.
In 19 of the 70 constituencies where individual candidates had run in the first round, the National Elections Authority announced on Tuesday that votes will be invalidated following the receipt of appeals and the documentation of “violations.”
Hazem Badawi, the head of the NEA, cited violations during a news conference, citing things like election ads in front of polling places, not providing candidates or their representatives with copies of the vote totals, and discrepancies between the counts of various committees.
Sisi called on the NEA to “scrutinise all incidents and appeals” and make any necessary decisions, including reruns, on Monday in order to preserve transparency and guarantee that the new parliament represents “the genuine will of Egyptians.”
In addition, Badawi affirmed that the National List for Egypt had achieved the 5% voter turnout requirement to win seats in the districts in the first round.
Since it was the only list eligible to appear on the ballot this year, the list, which was dominated by pro-government parties, essentially guaranteed seats for many candidates.
According to the NEA, about 23% of people cast ballots in the first round of voting. Next week is when the second and final voting phase is scheduled to occur.
