Egypt's Judiciary to allow expatriates to vote in the upcoming elections

The Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court on Tuesday issued a ruling that would enable Egyptians living abroad to vote in elections from the headquarters of accredited Egyptian diplomatic missions in the countries in which they reside. The court also ruled that the government, represented by the cabinet and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, must establish polling stations in all Egyptian consulates. A number of Egyptian expatriates led by the head of the Union of Egyptians Abroad, Essam Abdel Moneim, had filed a case against the chairman of the High Elections Committee (HEC), the head of Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the prime minister and the minister of interior. It called for the creation of electoral headquarters in Egyptian embassies to enable Egyptians abroad to vote in the upcoming parliamentary and Shura Council elections. They said the SCAF had promised more than once to realize the dream of Egyptians abroad to vote, but that no action was taken. In their complaint, they also said that depriving expatriate Egyptians of their right to vote is a violation of the Constitutional Declaration, of the law, and of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Government officials had previously said that technical difficulties could prevent the participation of expatriates in the electoral process. Hundreds of expatriates protested outside Egyptian embassies and consulates in cities around the world to demand the right to vote.