Cairo 22 November 2015
Continuing the monitoring of Egypt’s Parliamentary election from a gender perspective in the framework of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) operation room, ECWR follows up on the voting process for the second stage of Egypt’s Parliamentary elections, which is taking place 22nd and 23rd of November.
This stage includes Cairo, Qalioubiya, Daqahliya, Menoufiya, Gharbiya, Kafr El-Sheikh, Sharqiya, Damietta, Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, North Sinai, and South Sinai governorates.
The total of voters for this stage is 28,204,225 voters which constitutes 51% of total voters across the country.
There is 258 female candidate running out of 3072 candidates, which amounts to 8.39%, out of which 167 independent female candidates out of 2877, which amounts to 5.8%, while 91 female candidates on electoral lists from 195, which constitutes 46.6% .
There are four lists running in Cairo and South and Central Delta, which are:
For the Love of Egypt (Fih Hob Masr), Republican Alliance for central Delta, Independent Current, and Al Nour Party.
Meanwhile, in East Delta, only one list is running with is For the love of Egypt, translated as Fih Hob Masr.
Through the field observers, women of all age are participating heavily as was observed in front of polling stations. In addition, proper security of the polling stations, cooperation between army and police officers in security, and the considerate treatment of female voters from the elderly and the disabled and the proper treatment of female voters from judges which facilitated the electoral process.
Yet, ECWR field observers witnessed some administrative errors during the electoral process:
Delay in opening of polling stations
- Some polling stations started late such as the station 143 in Shaimaa Experimental School in Shubra El Kheima, Second, Qaliuobya as the Judges arrived late.
- Delay in polling station number 154 in Sayeda Aisha Secondary, Third Consituency, Sharkiya governorate.
- Delay in polling station number 31 in fourth Constituency, 10th of Ramadan city, Omar Ibn El Khattab in Cairo governorate.
- Delay in polling station number 99, Bandr constituency in El Faniya girls school in Hokamaa in Sharqiya governorate as there was only one box so the judge insisted to wait for the second.
- Delay in polling station number 9 in Madinet El Salam in El Sedik preparatory school for boys
Voters’ mobilization
- In Cairo governorate, Bulac Abul Elila constituency, Abu El Farag primary school, two of the candidates gathered voters in buses. When one of the female candidates’ campaigners tried to take a picture of this, they tried to hit him.
- In Sharqiya governorate in seventh constituency, Abu Qir Secondary school. Female voters were mobilized in a bus to go vote.
- In Qaliyoubiya governorate, Shubra El Kheima, Shaimaa Experimental School, one of the candidate gathered female voters in Tok Toks to go vote.
Continuation of the electoral campaigning
- In Cairo governorate, Bulac Abu El’Ila constituency, elqawmiyaa El-Arabia school, voting station number 32, a candidate’s representative has monitored the distribution of campaigning materials of other candidate inside the voting station, then he asked from the judge to file the case but he refused.
- In front of Al-Shaimaa school, Shobra El-Khaima, Qalyoubiya governorate, electoral campaigning continued by putting posters on Tok Toks.
- In Port Said governorate, third constituency, voting station number 97, Sa’ad Zaghloul School and Hamed El-Alfy school, of electoral propaganda though loud speakers and putting posters on the cars of some candidates.
- In Sharqiyaa governorate, Zaqazig, Abo Keer city, electoral propaganda continued at voting stations number 103 and 97 in Abo Keber secondary school, architectural Sanayeh school; in addition to mobilizing female voters in cars to vote.
Influencing voters
In Qalioubiya governorate, Al-Shaimaa school at Shobra El-Khaima, a woman has guidance women voters to choose specific list because it’s belonging to the president, and she linked to the services which provided by the government.
In front of the same school in Qaliuobiya governorate, number of candidates supporters are helping women to find their voting station by searching on their laptops and write to them on the candidate’s campaigning materials.
In Isma’alia governorate, the first constituency, School of Agriculture and Al-Galaa’ school, one of the candidates doing a direct publicity and guidance women voters for him.
Administrative errors
- In Port Said governorate, the third constituency, at several Schools. Some of the voting stations have more than three or four representatives for every candidate.
- In Port Said governorate, the third constituency, at Al-Zohour Preparatory School.
- An army officer expelled the candidates’ representatives in the polling station yet those who have a lawyer forced entry but those who didn’t weren’t allowed.
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