ECWR has continued tomonitor the elections from a qualitative perspective. It received many complaints during the nomination phase, when the monitoring elections operations room found many violations against women that prevented nominating some of them in the time of nomination.
The violations were as follows:
- The common feature was the lateness of committees and taking the papers from candidates in all governorates. In addition to following policy of separating the female candidates; female candidates were separated in many governorates in halls during presenting the needed documents, and they were prevented from using their mobile phones as well.
- In several governorates, doors of the committees that receive nomination documents were closed before the times – specified by interior ministry – in order to obstruct the chances of presenting the documents of the candidates, in addition to the clear unwillingness of some civil servants with the candidates generally and female candidates specifically.
- Lack of places to wait which led the candidates, men and women, to wait in the street during the sun set, in addition to the inhuman treatment of female candidates by security personnel.
- Tardiness of giving the electoral symbols, which will delay election propaganda of the female candidates, while there are several candidates who already took their electoral symbols.
- There are required documents which need time to be made, while they began their election propaganda by using symbols, which may make them lose the chance of presenting the documents.
- Control of security forces on the committees from the beginning of nominations, which resulted in fighting among some of the female candidates.
- The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights received many complaints from female candidates by phone during the nomination period. The following demonstrates the most prominent complaints:
– Minufia:
- Lateness of committees
- Separating the female candidates in hall alone and preventing them from using their mobile phones.
- another day according to their turn among the candidates, even though their numbers exceed the days of submission.
- Some candidates had to enter the committees through the back doors.
- There was chaos and conflict caused by some candidates of Al Wafd party, that’s why they entered in turns of others.
- The second day witnessed the delaying of receiving electoral symbols.
Dakahlia:
- The delivery of electoral symbol to many female candidates is delayed, which lead to delaying electoral propaganda. In addition to that, there were no free places for male and female candidates to wait and they were left waiting in the heat of the sun all day.
Ismailia
- After completing their documents and submitting them, female working candidates were asked to submit a piece of paper proving that they work at certain places and to state their salaries. This is seen as an attempt to hinder the female candidates and it caused many of them to lose the chance of nomination.
Alexandria
- It witnessed many breaches and violations. Security forces completely controlled the commissions, and ballot papers were collected by security men and not by the commission itself.
- Some independents were prevented from entering to submit their papers.
- It was announced that nomination was closed before the legally due date, which caused many conflicts between male and female independents to reach to the window where they should submit their papers, exacerbated by the harsh crowds and obstinacy of security forces.
- Some male and female candidates slept in the street in front of the police station in order to be able to enter to the commission, enroll their names and submit their papers; which led the commission to specify numbers for them reached to 100.
- Ministry of Interior declared the extension of submitting papers period to 5 pm, while security men declared that they will close the nomination at 2 pm, despite of the Interior Ministry’s statement.
Souhag
- Submission started at 12 pm and ended at 1.30pm. Yet, in the second day, it started at 10 am and ended at 1.30, which led to conflicts and confusion among applicants.
Red Sea
- The completion of the papers of those who are willing to be nominated was hindered so that they lose the chance of nomination. This led to the fact that a number of female candidates could not get their required papers from the specified bodies, and they couldn’t get all of their papers, such as their criminal record.
Sharkia
- Male and female candidates slept in street in front of the police station, in order to be the first to submit their pieces of papers. This returns to the dense crowds witnessed in committees in the first day of submission. Yet, in the second day, there was one officer between the candidates who wrote their names and organized them in a way that enabled them to enter in tens.
Luxor
- Papers of some female candidates were rejected on the pretext that the papers do not have the icon “Category”.
Fayoum
- Committees had crowd presence of security forces, in addition to conservativeness to make anybody enter by the identification card.
- Due to increase in numbers of candidates, they were had to take turns to enter to the nomination places.
6th of October
- Female candidates were not allowed to use their mobile phones in order to prevent contact with any one or taking photos of anything occuring during presenting the documents.
- Presenting the documents stopped at 1:30 pm. No documents of women have been received, and they are asked to come in
