File Photo: Men walk in front of the National Election Authority, which is in charge of supervising the 2018 presidential election in Cairo, Egypt, January 22, 2018 (Photo: Reuters)
Egypt's National Elections Authority (NEA) approved on Thursday 1,558 journalists from print, broadcast and TV news outlets to cover the upcoming presidential elections, which are scheduled for 26-28 March.
The NEA also approved granting the National Media Authority permits codes for 11 anchors, 41 directors, 38 cameramen and 26 chief editors and correspondents, with a total of 116 codes issued.
For satellite channels, the NEA has approved CBC, Al-Kahera Wel Nas, MBC, DMC, Al-Hayah, ONTV, and TEN TV to cover the elections, with 863 permits issued.
NEA spokesperson Mahmoud El-Sherif said on Wednesday that the NEA is set to start printing 60 million ballot papers for the 2018 presidential elections.
The spokesman also said that the NEA is set to hand over 15,000 polling stations to the interior ministry, which will be tasked with securing the stations.
The NEA is set to announce the final list of candidates in the presidential elections on 24 February.
Two candidates have registered to run in the elections; incumbent President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Ghad Party leader Moussa Mostafa Moussa.
President El-Sisi, whose current term will end in June, won the 2014 presidential elections in a two-man race with nearly 97 percent of the vote over leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi.
The elections are scheduled to start nationwide on 26-28 March, with runs-offs, if they are to take place, scheduled for 24-26 April.
If no run-offs are necessary, the winner will be announced on 2 April.
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