Cairo- Notaries in hundreds of offices in Egypt have started registering powers of attorney filed by citizens for potential presidential candidates as Egypt prepares for the start of the 2018 presidential election campaign. The vote will be March 26-28. In the event of an election run-off, the second round of the voting would be April 24. Many analysts predict that incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has not formally announced his re-election bid, will easily win more than 50% of the vote, particularly given a dearth of challengers. Approximately 58 million Egyptians are eligible to vote in the presidential election, the second since the downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in 2013. The announcement of the election timetable was welcomed by political observers, who expressed hope that the vote would energise Egypt’s moribund political participation.
“This is a huge national event that will decide the future course of this country for the next four years,” said Alaa Abdel Azim, the deputy head of the liberal Egyptian Republican Party. “It will show that Egypt is committed to a competitive political process where everybody has an equal opportunity, regardless of who he is.”
National Election Authority Chairman Lasheen Ibrahim said it would treat all potential candidates equally and called on voters to make their presence felt at polling stations despite many Egyptians expressing indifference towards the upcoming campaign.
Presidential candidates must submit credentials January 20-29. In addition to identification documents, hopefuls must submit 25,000 powers of attorney from eligible voters or endorsements from 20 members of parliament.
Full Article: .:Middle East Online:::..
