News Press release

The 3rd press release: Referendum’s Last Hours’ Violations Mobilization, Slowing Down and Electricity Cut

The operations room of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights ECWR is observing the second stage of the referendum from a gender perspective during the last hours that the Freedom and Justice party considers to be the battle of life or death where any illegal methods that disappeared after the 25 January 2011 revolution can be used. Mobilization and vote buying are examples of these methods. ECWR considers the electricity cut in 15 villages in El Menoufiya governorate is very dangerous especially noting that these villages are known for their likeliness to reject the constitution. Additionally, the representatives of the human rights organizations were banned from entering the polling stations two hours before the counting which is a negative indicator about the will to carry out dangerous violations during the counting and announcing the results.

And here are some of these Violations:

Group Voting:

  • Group voting case in polling station number 51 at Amr Bin Abd El Aziz school in Shubra El Kheima-El Qalioubiys governorate. Additionally, there were no checks on the monqaba voters faces
  • Group voting case in El Moatamadiya school-Giza governorate, polling stations number 30
  • Group voting of female voters at the old secondary school in Shibeen El Koum-Monofiya governorate (polling station number 15)
  • Group voting at Ahmed Shawqy school in El A’rbaeen district-Suez governorate (polling stations 6 and 8)

Mobilizing Female Voters:

  • Mobilizing female voters in Freedom and Justice party in front of Kafr El Gabal primary school in Hadayek El Ahram-Giza governorate
  • Mobilizing female voters in Mogamaa’ Madares El Sadat in El A’rbaeen district-Suez governorate in a microbus that carries plate number 5297
  • Mobilizing female voters in front of the secondary school for girls in Minya governorate in taxis that carry the plate numbers Minya30806 301272 30458

Instructing the Female Voters:

  • Signs that instructs the voters to say yes were in front of the polling station at Amr Ibn El ‘Aas school in Shubra El Kheima-Qualiobiya governorate
  • Flags that carries yes for the constitution were distributed in front of the experimental school in Bani Mazar

Buying Votes:

  • ECWR observed buying the votes of women voters from members of Freedom and Justice for 100 pounds in front of the secondary school for girls in Bani Mazar-Minya governorate
  • Denying the Entry of Observers to the Polling Stations:
  • Judge Mohamed Abou El Ella in polling station number 21 at El Helmiya preparatory school-Giza governorate refused the entry of civil society observers

Logistical and Managerial Mistakes:

  • Civil society observers were denied access to the Abou Bakr school (El Ganayen branch)-Suez governorate
  • There were no security forces in Youssef Gad Allah Experimental school (polling stations 28 and 29)-Giza governorate and therefore there was no organization and the polling stations were over crowded
  • The polling station number 15 in El A’kreesha primary school in Kafr El Dawar-Behira governorate was closed for 2 hours claiming that over crowdedness is the reason behind this closure, and therefore many of the female voters left without voting
  • It was observed that female voters with mental disabilities were voting in Um El Mo’mneen school (polling station number 16)-Giza governorate
  • Female voters suffered from over crowdedness due to the big numbers of voters in front of El Moatamadiya school for boys-Giza governorate and slow entry to the polling stations