Egypt's Journalists Syndicate puts off mid-term elections owing to coronavirus concerns

Ahram Online , Wednesday 17 Mar 2021

The government rejected holding the midterm elections on 19 March in tents outside the syndicate HQ in a bid to curb the spread of the virus

Journalists syndicte
The headquarters of Egyptian Journalists syndicate in Cairo (Photo: Al-Ahram)
 
The syndicate's Committee for Supervising Elections said the syndicate board decided to postpone the elections following nine hours of deliberations after the government  had rejected the syndicate's proposal to hold the elections on 19 March in tents erected outside the syndicate's headquarters in Downtown Cairo due to coronavirus concerns.
 
The mid-term elections will be held in an open-air area in the capital that is yet to be announced, the committee added.
 
Last month, the syndicate revealed that the health ministry had objected to holding the elections during the general assembly over fears of the spread of the pandemic.
 
The mid-term elections were slated for 5 March but was adjourned to 19 March after the general assembly failed on that day to meet the necessary quorum to hold the vote over the president and six board seats.
 
Only 157 journalists out of 8,861 eligible voting members registered attendance for the general assembly on 5 March. 
 
The quorum for holding the syndicate's elections is 50 percent plus one member of the general assembly.
 
The quorum for a repeat general assembly is 25 percent plus one member.
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