Cairo, Egypt – The National Elections Authority (NEA) in Egypt has announced the annulment of initial election results in 19 electoral districts across seven governorates, citing significant violations. The decision necessitates a rerun of the parliamentary elections in these affected areas.
NEA Chairman Hazem Badawy stated during a press conference that the decision to invalidate the initial results was prompted by the identification of substantial irregularities during the first phase of the electoral process. These violations, according to Badawy, directly impacted the integrity of the vote for individual seats.
Specific infractions included campaigning activities occurring directly outside polling stations, failure to provide candidates or their representatives with copies of vote tabulation records, and discrepancies in the number of votes recorded at various polling locations.
The rerun elections for overseas voters in the affected districts are scheduled for December 1st and 2nd. Domestic voting will take place on December 3rd and 4th, with final results expected to be announced on December 11th. A subsequent rerun, if needed, is planned for December 24th and 25th for Egyptians abroad and December 27th and 28th within Egypt, with the official results slated for release on January 4th.
Badawy emphasized the NEA’s commitment to upholding the integrity of the electoral process. He stated, “The Authority has always been connected to the pulse of the Egyptian people. It is tasked with protecting their right to vote, adhering to the principles of justice, equality, and transparency, and ensuring that only their choices determine their representatives in Parliament.”
This decision follows President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directive to the NEA to thoroughly investigate all appeals and to take decisive action, even if it means completely or partially invalidating the initial phase of the elections. This marks the first instance since 2014, under President Sisi’s administration, that the election authority has ordered a rerun of parliamentary elections due to irregularities.
Approximately 69 million Egyptians are registered to vote out of a total population of roughly 108 million. The initial phase saw a voter turnout of 6,084,862, representing approximately 23% of registered voters.
