The day opened with heightened monitoring, intensified responses to reported violations, and praise from rights groups for the improvements implemented after the first phase, particularly following the presidential statement and swift actions by the National Elections Authority (NEA).
Multiple rights advocates and election observers said the second phase marked noticeable progress.
Speaking in a phone interview on ON TV's “Kalima Akhira”, Saeed Abdel-Hafiz, President of the Egyptian Coalition for Human Rights and Development, said the second phase witnessed firm responses to irregularities, especially after the actions taken by the NEA following incidents in the first phase.
He noted that campaign materials had been cleared from the vicinity of polling stations and that authorities had blocked attempts to influence voters financially or morally.
He added that while minor violations such as illegal mobilization and attempts at vote-buying were detected, none affected the integrity of the process, stressing, “We have not reached perfection, but this is the case in every competitive election worldwide.”
Abdel-Hafiz, who also appeared in an earlier interview on Al-Hayah TV’s “Al-Hayah Al-Youm”, highlighted long-term structural improvements across recent electoral cycles, including the replacement of wooden ballot boxes with plastic ones, the elimination of violent incidents, especially in Upper Egypt, and the establishment of the NEA as the independent authority supervising elections instead of the Ministry of Interior.
National Council for Human Rights
Ambassador Mahmoud Karem, Acting Chair of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), said that the press conference held by the NEA on Monday was characterized by transparency, noting that it presented all violations recorded during the second phase of the 2025 House of Representatives elections.
Speaking in a phone interview on ON TV’s “Kalima Akhira”, he stressed that the NCHR is not a governmental body and that it monitors developments through its field representatives and its offices across several governorates, including Cairo, Qalioubiya, the Canal Cities, Kafr El-Sheikh, Gharbiya, and others, in addition to relying on civil society input when preparing its reports. “The Authority naturally has more information; it’s their mandate, and they monitor everything,” he added.
Karem highlighted significant differences in how the electoral process was managed compared to the first phase, especially following the presidential intervention and the NEA’s decision to rerun elections in 19 constituencies to uphold integrity and reinforce the will of citizens and voters.
Nazaha Coalition
In a televised interview broadcast on Al-Hayah TV, Ayman Aqeel, spokesperson for the International Nazaha Coalition, said international observers deployed in 10 governorates confirmed the “integrity and freedom” of the electoral process, noting strong early-morning turnout on Monday and Tuesday.
He praised the NEA and the Ministry of Interior for their rapid response to complaints, saying this level of intervention helped restore public trust and counter attempts to undermine the credibility of the process.
Aqeel said several long-standing harmful practices had disappeared, including illegal crowds, aggressive campaigning at polling stations, and violent disruptions, developments he described as evidence that “genuine parliamentary elections” were taking place.
Political parties
During a phone interview on Al-Nahar TV’s “El-Soura”, President of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party Farid Zahran said the second phase was “noticeably better” than the first. However, limited violations were recorded in some constituencies such as Gharbiya and Port Said.
He acknowledged the NEA’s effective handling of these incidents but questioned why reruns were held in only 19 constituencies despite broader irregularities in the first phase.
Zahran also pointed to low participation among civil political elites and voters in major cities such as Cairo, attributing this partly to past concerns about attempts to influence voter will.
He added that political favouritism generally benefits candidates perceived to be aligned with the authorities, as some seek such alignment in anticipation of future gains.
National Council for Disabilities
In a special interview on Al-Mehwar TV’s “Nouwab El-Watan”, Hossam El-Din El-Amir, Media Advisor to the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, said the 2025 elections saw unprecedented measures to ensure the participation of persons with disabilities.
Polling stations were equipped with sign-language posters explaining the voting process, ballot papers printed with sign-language alphabetical symbols, and volunteer interpreters to assist voters with hearing disabilities.
He added that ramps, wheelchairs, and ground-floor polling rooms were made available for individuals with physical disabilities, while judges were provided with Braille guidance manuals for voters with visual impairments.
These steps, he said, were the result of close coordination with the NEA and extensive community dialogue sessions held ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The second phase covers 13 governorates, comprising 73 constituencies and 5,287 polling stations. A total of 1,316 candidates are contesting individual seats, alongside a single closed list in the Cairo, South and Central Delta, and East Delta districts.
Polling stations remain open today from 9am. to 9pm, with a one-hour break from 3pm to 4pm, concluding the second phase of balloting.
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