Egyptians choose their president

Mariam Farouq

Tomorrow, Monday 18 December 2023, the official results of Egypt’s presidential election will be announced.

The 2024 presidential election was contested by four candidates: incumbent

President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi; Farid Zahran, head of the Egyptian Democratic Social Party; Abdel-Sanad Yamama, head of al-Ward Party; and Hazem Omar, head of the People’s Republican Party.

Expatriate Egyptians in 121 countries over the world had already cast their ballots on 1, 2, and 3 December at Egyptian embassies, consulates, and polling centres. The relevant election committees have completed the vote counts and sent them to the National Elections Authority (NEA) in Cairo.

Egypt, balloting took place on 10, 11, and 12 December in 11,631 polling centres; Egyptian voters make up some 67 million. Some 15,000 judges supervised the polling.

NEA has ensured that balloting would be facilitated for all, providing online all necessary information concerning the polling. The elderly and persons with disabilities cast their ballots in ground-floor polling stations, and the visually impaired were provided with balloting cards in Braille. For those with hearing disabilities, visual guidelines and instructions were available.

The election was monitored by the international coalition Nazaha which includes 54 members from 34 European, African, and Arab countries. The commission monitoring the balloting in Egypt constituted 100 persons who included international monitors, interpreters, administrative coordinators, and persons running the operations room.

In addition to Nazaha, 14 international organisations and 62 local ones monitored the election process which was followed by 185 local and international media outlets.

Among the public figures who cast their votes were leading figures in the Coptic Orthodox Church: Pope Tawadros II; and Anba Pachomius, Metropolitan of Beheira, Matrouh, and Pentapolis, who is the eldest bishop in the Coptic Church. Despite his illness and being confined to a wheelchair, he persevered in voting, and was driven to the polling station. Seeing that, the judge at the polling station insisted on handing him the voting card to mark while in his car. The Metropolitan told those who appeared surprised at his resolve: “Egypt has given us so much; this is the least we can give back.”