Chairman of State Information Service: Chairman of State Information Service: The Presidential Elections Represent a Serious Path Towards Genuine Political Pluralism

alhadath – cairo

Chairman of the State Information Service Diaa Rashwan has announced that on the occasion of the Presidential Elections due on Sunday December 10, 2023, the State Information Service has issued the following statement which reads:
Egypt is witnessing a significant and pivotal phase in its political history with the 2024 Presidential Elections, which represent the fifth pluralistic presidential election in the country’s modern history. The 2024 elections gain additional importance as they are a major step in the state’s earnest journey towards democratic transformation, party pluralism, and political competitiveness. This follows a year and a half of serious and unprecedented national dialogue, which included all political, union, and civil components of the Egyptian society.
This earnest path towards genuine political pluralism is exemplified in the diverse political background of the candidates for the Presidential elections, which includes four Candidates:
– Candidate Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, an independent Candidate.
– Candidate Farid Zahran, head of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and one of the prominent founders of the “Civil Democratic Movement,” which is considered the largest bloc of opposition parties in Egypt.
– Candidate Abdel-Sanad Yamama, head of the Wafd Party, the most historic of the Egyptian liberal parties and the oldest party in Egypt.
– Candidate Hazem Omar, head of the Republican People’s Party, which is the second-largest Egyptian party in terms of representation in the House of Representatives.
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With the announcement of the final list of candidates and the commencement of electoral campaigning, all state entities, especially the media, have endeavored to create an atmosphere of openness and full competitiveness. They have implemented the principle of equal opportunities, maintaining impartiality towards all candidates, and affirming the citizen’s right to know all information about the candidates, their programs, and their proposals. This has been reflected in providing equal opportunities for all candidates to hold seminars, press and public conferences, and factional meetings in various governorates of the republic, as well as equal media presence across visual, auditory, and print mediums.

In accordance with the Egyptian constitution and laws, the first phase of the presidential elections outside Egypt was successfully conducted from the 1st to the 3rd of this month. The process unfolded positively in 137 electoral committees spread across 121 countries. Numerous facilitations were provided to enable Egyptian citizens abroad to vote at the premises of the Egyptian embassies and consulates. This was fully supervised by the National Election Authority, in close coordination around the clock with both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs. The voting scene abroad over the three days was commendable and befitting of this highest electoral entitlement in the country. The National Election Authority will announce the detailed results, including participation rates and votes for each of the four candidates, following the completion of voting within the country and the announcement of the final results of the first round of the elections.

The elections within Egypt will continue on the 10th, 11th, and 12th of this month, for which the National Election Authority has prepared all necessary logistical measures and requirements to facilitate citizens’ voting, both at polling stations and through its website that allows citizens to inquire about their electoral committee locations and provides all necessary information to ease their voting process.
To ensure full opportunity for the Egyptian and international public opinion to follow these elections around the clock and to uphold the principle of transparency, the National Election Authority has announced the registration of the following numbers of of Egyptian and international media and civil entities:
62 Egyptian civil society organizations and associations, represented by 22,540 observers.
14 foreign organizations and associations, represented by 220 observers.
67 diplomats monitoring the event, representing 24 foreign embassies in Egypt, with ongoing registration for any other interested parties.
77 Egyptian media outlets, including newspapers, magazines, television channels, radio stations, and online sites.
109 foreign media outlets, including newspapers, magazines, television channels, radio stations, and websites, from 33 countries across different continents. They are represented by 526 correspondents, 426 of whom are based in Egypt and 100 are visiting to cover this important electoral event.
4 multinational organizations, namely the Arab League, the African Union Commission, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.

To facilitate and enable both Egypt-based and visiting foreign media representatives to monitor the elections over its three-day span, the State Information Service has established a central operations room. This room operates around the clock throughout the voting days. It welcomes and is prepared to receive all inquiries and questions from correspondents of various foreign media outlets regarding the progress of the electoral process. Immediate responses will be provided through multiple communication channels that the State Information Service has informed all correspondents about. This is done in direct and continuous coordination with the central operations room of the National Election Authority.