The National Elections Authority (NEA) received requests from 48 organizations- four of them are international- seek to monitor the upcoming Egyptian Presidential elections, said NEA Spokesperson Mahmoud Helmy.
Helmy said in a press statement issued Saturday that the NEA has checked the papers of 21 organizations, adding that the assessed NGOs met the conditions set by the NEA, a week hence the rest of the requests will be studied.
The NEA has previously announced the instructions the civil societies should follow in order to monitor the Egyptian Presidential elections, opening the door for requests since January 9.
Organizations applying for a permit should be working primarily in the fields of election monitoring, human rights or support for democracy, in addition to enjoying a good reputation of integrity and objectivity. Former experience with observing elections is a must.
Every organization should submit a report concluding what it observed after the election process is over. Monitoring organizations are prohibited from announcing any results until they are officially announced by the NEC.
The NEA has the right to revoke the permits of any organization at any time in case of breaching the aforementioned rules.
The NEA has the right to invite the chairpersons of any foreign agencies or commissions related to elections, embassies, international and regional unions to monitor the 2018 presidential elections.
Voting will take place for three days starting March 26 domestically, while it will begin on March 16 for expats from 9:00 until 21:00 in each countrys local time. The winning candidate will be announced on April 2.
