( Cairo, December 14, 2011) ECWR continues its monitoring from a gender perspective of the 2011 People’s Assembly elections also in its second round. This round includes the following governorates: Giza, Beni Suef, Monufia, Sharqia, Ismailia, Suez, Beheira, Sohag, and Aswan. All together 328 female candidates are running in the second round- 107 as individual candidates and 221 on the party-lists.
The High Committee of the Election issued a decision to halt the voting process for the party lists in the first constituency Monufia, which includes 8 seats, the second constituencyBeheira, which includes 8 seats, and the second constituency Sohag, which includes 8 seats.This decision came after the issuance of a sentence from the Judicial Administrative Court to halt the election on those constituencies. The Committee decided to postpone the election in the abovementioned constituencies to Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 December 2011. Meanwhile the voting process for the individual system continues .
ECWR’s operations room has received a wider range of complaints from all constituencies of the second round:
Transport vs Votes:
- The Freedom and Justice Party took advantage of underprivileged women, who cannot afford the traveling to their polling stations by offering them transportation if they vote for them. This happened to women from the Tanash village, El-Warak area, Giza, fifth district, who were transported to Al-Jezira and Bashteel which have several primary schools with polling stations to vote. The women were transported in the buses No. A.S 67213 and D.S 35821.
- Also, in Jezirat Mohamed village, El-Warak area, Giza, fifth district transport the women’s voting blocs to polling stations in Tanash and Bashteel villages
Lobbing Female Voters:
Al-Nour Party lobbied women in Microbuses to vote for their party in Suez, Al-Arbeen Area, Preparatory Makram Ebeed School in the Microbuses No T.S.D464682 _ 5692 _6815_ 5197_ 4863_ 6607_ 1084_ 1609 ( . ط س د 464682 _ 5692 _ 6815 _ 5197 _ 4863 _ 6607 _ 1084 _ 1609 .)
Illegal Removing of the Voting Sheet (Ballot Stuffing):
The National Party of Egypt used “ballot stuffing” for guiding female voters to vote for this party in front of Sekeel Primary School, Giza, fifth constituency.
Breaking of Electoral Silence
- Al-Nour party conducted illegal propaganda on the election- day at the the Preparatory Modern School in front of polling stations No 184 and 185 in Beheira, first constituency and the Preparatory Omar Makrem for Boys school, Suez, Al-Arbeen area.
- The support staff of the Egypt’s National party abused the period of electoral silence in front of the Polling Stations of the School of Sekel in Giza, fifth constituency through distributing their propaganda.
Influence Will of the Voters:
- Al-Nour Party used veiled women to persuade the will of the female voters to cast their votes for them at the Preparatory Modern School, first constituency, Beheira, polling stations No 184 and 185. Also, the party distributed to party advertisements to female voters to persuade them to cast their votes for them in Al-Arbeen Area, Suez, Ahmed Shawki School .
- The Freedom and Justice Party interfered to change the will of female voters to cast their votes for their party in the Preparatory Modern School, In Beheira, Polling stations No 184 and 185.
Non-inclusion of names of female voters in the electoral rolls:
- Many female voters didn’t find their names in the electoral rolls although they found their names on the internet, and they have papers include the numbers of polling stations and their district, this happened in Sharqia, Senbara El-Maymona district, polling stations No 660 to 671 .
- Delay in opening the polling stations :
- In Giza, the following polling stations opened at 9: 00 AM instead of 8:00 AM: No. 36, 37, 42, 43, 40, 41 in Al Aqwaz school, first district,
- In Suez, the following polling stations opened at 8:30 AM: 56, 57 in Samy El-Barony School, Al-Arbeen. Also, all the polling stations of Omar Makrem School, Al Arbeen area opened at 8:30 AM.
- In Bani Suef, the Secondary School for girls, Naser area, polling station no 263 opened at 8:30 am also the illegal propaganda from Al-Nour party and Freedom and Justice Party continued there.
- In Giza, the first constituency, Abo Baker El-Sedek School, El-Shobak El-Sharky area, the primary and secondary School of Al-Akhasas didn’t open until 10:20 AM .
