Three days before elections day, a series of administrative justice rulings are threatening to gerrymander the electoral map in several districts, reports privately-owned Al-Shrorouk.
Moreover, civil society organizations are objecting to new regulations by the High Elections Commission regarding domestic monitoring of the elections, and have continued to document other electoral violations.
In Qalyoubia Governorate, the court of administrative justice ruled to halt elections in Tukh, Shubra Khaima 2, Kafr Shukr, and Banha districts, according to Al-Shorouk. The ruling is a response to urgent lawsuits filed by ten excluded NDP candidates, prevented to run despite obtaining court rulings to allow them to do so.
In Alexandria, the court accepted 34 lawsuits filed by attorneys of Brotherhood, independent, and other candidates excluded by various parties, against holding elections, reports Al-Shorouk. The court canceled elections in all Alexandria’s districts except Ghirbal, due to the large number of electoral transgressions. The districts include Raml, where Minister of Municipal Development Abdul Salam Mahgoub is competing, and Moharam Beih, where Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mufid Shehab is vying for the seat, reports Al-Wafd.
In related developments, the Supreme Administrative Court issued a final ruling, not subject to a challenge, that changed the status of NDP Badrashin district candidate, Emad al-Dargali, from a “worker” to a “professional,” reports Al-Shorouk. The ruling renders the “workers” seat empty, as al-Dargali was its sole contender. The “workers” seat in Manshaat Qanatir district faces the same fate.
Rulings to change the status of several NDP candidates in more than 20 districts has also caused a “state of panic” for the NDP, reports state-run Rose Al-Youssef. Sharqiya Governorate is one of the most affected governorates as the court of administrative justice ruled NDP candidates must change their status in Tillin, Mashtul Al-Souk, and Qenayat districts.
The rulings mean several NDP candidates originally competing for different seats will now vie for the same seat. According to the coverage, the NDP will address this problem by hampering the implementation process.
In other news, rights organizations seeking to monitor Sunday's elections have issued several statements lamenting the electoral commission's decision to not release monitoring permits for its members who submitted applications. The Egyptian Organization to Support Democratic Development issued a press statement reiterating its insistence on monitoring the elections regardless of the circumstances, even in the absence of permits. The organization criticized the electoral commission’s 57th decision for the year 2010, which, according to civil society organizations permit interested parties to “follow” but not “monitor” the elections.
According to Al-Shorouk, members of the Egyptian Coalition to Monitor Elections, comprised of 120 organizations, went to the electoral commission’s headquarters on Wednesday to inquire about the permits, but were told to “wait until 8PM."
Al-Dostour reports several legal experts have objected to the monitoring restrictions. Experts accused the commission of recanting its promises to endorse the domestic monitoring effort. The coalition Monitors without Borders documented what it described as “severe stubbornness” on the part of the electoral commission, particularly with regards to the regulations issued over the past 24 hours. The regulations include the decision not to allow civil society organizations the right to monitor the voting process inside polling and counting stations. Civil society organizations are also prohibited from asking polling station officials questions.
Civil society organizations consider the restrictions an attempt to undermine the effectiveness of domestic monitoring efforts. Head of Monitors without Borders Mohammed Higab argued the commission is wasting a rare opportunity to deal seriously with civil society organizations.
The independent committee to monitor elections–composed of a coalition of 40 civil society organizations headed by the Ibn Khaldun Center–has documented a number of electoral transgressions in 75 districts across 21 governorates, reports Al-Dostour.
The committee also emphasized the absence of equal opportunities for all candidates, particularly since NDP candidates utilized their positions of power, as ministers and former MPs. Monitors have also pointed out that all candidates violated the LE 200,000 ceiling for campaign spending, and that NDP candidates had the best locations for campaign posters, particularly in Cairo, Menoufia, Alexandria, Qena, and Fayoum Governorates.
Al-Shorouk also delivers a litany of electoral transgressions. A public-sector employee, assigned to monitor the poll, has accused a state security official of asking him and 96 other employees to fill out 100 ballots in favor of NDP candidates, Sayyid Rostom and Ali Radwan, in Cairo's Sahel district. Security sources denied the allegation. The employee said a number of his colleagues were financially compensated for filling out the ballots.
MB candidate in the Sahel district Hazem Farouk filed a lawsuit against employees of the certification bureau, protesting their refusal to certify 300 power of attorney documents for his supporters. According to Kamal Radwan of the Brotherhood’s legal office, police stations refused to issue the documents despite daily visits by Brotherhood attorneys. A group source threatened the Brotherhood would organize protests and demonstrations in front of state security offices if the documents are not released.
Not surprisingly, arrests of Brotherhood members persist. Eleven MB leaders were arrested in the 6th of October Governorate, including journalist Badr Mohammed Badr, husband of Brotherhood candidate Azza Al-Garaf, reports Al-Shorouk. In Alexandria, 6 MB leaders were arrested.
Egypt's papers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhorriya: Daily, state-run
Rose el-Youssef: Daily, state-run, close to the National Democratic Party's Policies Secretariat
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Arab Nasserist party
Youm7: Weekly, privately owned
Sawt el-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
