Egyptian expats around the world began voting on Friday morning in Egypt’s 2018 presidential election, in embassies of Egypt abroad which have opened their doors for three days.
According to the National Election Commission (NEC), the days announced for voting for Egyptian expats are March 16, 17 and 18, where voters will choose one of the two candidates for the presidency.
The candidates are President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, represented by the star symbol, and, represented with the airplane symbol, candidate Moussa Mostafa Moussa, head of the Ghad Party and a former supporter for the re-election of Sisi for a second term in office.
The voting takes place in 139 committees across 124 countries, at the headquarters of 123 embassies and 16 Egyptian consulates, and under the supervision of 714 Egyptian diplomats.
Meanwhile, the NEC decided to cancel the voting in four countries – Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia – for security reasons and to protect the lives of Egyptians living there.
During his visit to Interior Ministry’s headquarters, Sisi said on Thursday that his government had fulfilled its promises during his first term, and called on Egyptians to vote in large numbers in an election where he is seeking a second term in office.
In October 2017, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) announced that Egyptian expatriates reached 9.5 million, with the majority located in Arab and Gulf countries.
Within Egypt, voting will take place on March 26-27.
