The Administrative Court acknowledged the Right of NGOs to Monitor;
Found New Inventions of Election rigging
The Administrative Courts issued a ruling on the 1st of June, 2010 in case No 34703/64, which gave “the right to NGOs to monitor the election process in accordance with principals of transparency, integrity, and the establishment of democracy.” A complaint was filed by the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights on May 31, 2010 in the First District of the State Council against the High Commission of Elections and the National Council for Human Rights, which are the responsible bodies for receiving civil society requests to monitor elections.
The complaint had been filed because the committees had not issued permits to NGOs to monitor the Shura Council elections. While monitoring on voting day, ECWR received many complaints from female candidates who are not members of the National Democratic Party (NDP). All of them said that ballot boxes had been stuffed in many of the polling stations by workers inside of the polling station. Furthermore, some of candidates had come up with new inventions of forgery such as removing ballots from the station and
handing them out to the public to fill out and then submitting the ballots on their behalf.
The deputies of the opposition parties’ candidates were not allowed to enter the polling stations 353, 342, 343, 325, 328, 326, 325, and 324.
Kafr ElSheikh Governorate:
- In Foda district, at the Commerce School, the polling station had been closed while the female candidate of NDP, her supporters and deputies were still inside it.
- In Foda district, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidates told ECWR’s observer that they went to the police station to file a report but that the police refused to take the report.
- In Shamasher Primary school, 1st district, the deputies of opposition parties’ candidates were prevented from entering the polling stations.
- At Matobas Secondary Commerce School for Girls, supporters of one candidate rode in a microbus (#50997) from station to station, stuffing the ballot boxes at each one.
AlMinya Governorate:
- At Mawas monastery, 4th district, the ECWR’s observer was prevented from entering the polling station.
- The Religious Institute, Mawas monastery, 4th district, voters were prevented from casting their votes.
- The female candidate informed the ECWR’s observer that all the polling stations (Abu Hans monastery, Ashmonen, and Um Gamas) have been stuffed in the morning. In the city, there was a very low turnout of voters and she expected that the ballot boxes would be stuffed again at the end of the day.
Helwan Governorate:
- In Ghamaza area, Saft, First district, policemen formed a wall preventing voters from casting their votes, the same thing happened in the Secondary School for Girls at Helwan.
- First District, Helwan, the Ministry of the Military Production transported all its employees with bus #865 AED to Um Al‐Abtal School and the Secondary School for Girls in order to cast their votes for the NDP’s candidates.
AlFayoum Governorate:
- At Qebly Senhour School, Second district, Senhour police station, approximately 1200 ballot had been forged. 5000 ballots were forged in Bahry Senhour village for the NDP’s candidate. The same thing happened in Trasa School, Makalees School, Al‐Tawfekaya School, and Al‐Seileen.
Dakahlia Governorate:
- The observers of ECWR noted the following violations and incidents during Election Day:
Qena Governorate:
- In the Quos District, security harassed the observers and the head of the polling station filled out ballots on behalf of women voters under the pretense that they were illiterate.
- The female candidates’ deputies left the polling stations in protest because they objected to the forgery occurring within the polling stations.
- The women were gathered in microbuses #611‐ 5411.
- The female candidate got into a fight with the NDP’s candidate who had told her that he already won because all that ballot boxes had been stuffed on his behalf. The female candidate tried to file a complaint but no one would listen to her, not even the High Commission of the Elections at the governorate.
AlBehera Governorate:
- At Galal As‐Sharkawy School in Abu Almatameer area in the third district, the candidates’ deputies were prevented from entering the polling stations.
- Security approached ECWR’s observer after he took photos with his cell phone of ballot boxes being stuffed; they took the cell‐phone and deleted all of the pictures on it.
- The police and the supporters of the NDP’s candidate told all the polling stations to be careful of ECWR’s observer which prevented him from doing his work to monitor because voters were intimidated by him.
- In the middle of the day, there were no women in the streets or in the polling stations.
- ECWR’s observer met some voters who could not find their names listed at the polling stations.
- The supporters of NDP’s candidates intimidated other candidates’ supporters with switchblades and prevented them from entering the polling station.
