The AU-COMESA press conference held Cairo on Thursday to release preliminary statement on Egypt's presidential elections. Photo Courtesy of COMESA Secretariat account on X platform
The EOM noted that Egypt's National Elections Authority (NEA) executed its mandate professionally, according to the COMESA's preliminary statement on Egypt's 2024 presidential elections.
The statement further added that despite internal economic challenges and other regional security and humanitarian concerns linked to ongoing military operations in neighbouring Gaza, Egypt was able to organize the elections in a generally peaceful environment, affirming that elections provided a solid foundation for peace and stability in the country.
Polling officials, supervised by judicial officers, demonstrated a strong understanding of voting procedures and received positive competence assessments from observers, the EOM said.
Moreover, the EOM noted that the NEA offered public transport to voters, upon request, to reach their respective polling stations, in addition to making special provisions to allow all registered voters to cast their ballot at any polling station within the country.
The EOM also praised the NEA’s positive attitude to implementing some recommendations from previous election observation missions, including the development of guidelines on the roles and responsibilities of security personnel during voting.
Furthermore, the statement hailed the NEA's efforts to enable all voters, including those who went to the wrong polling stations or faced accessibility challenges, by providing transportation services.
The report also commended the active role played by civil society, including women and youth organizations, in voter education and mobilization as well as election observation.
Meanwhile, some of the electoral officials were unable to provide important electoral statistics such as the exact number of registered voters per polling station, the report pointed out.
Observers also reported that candidates' agents were present and able to observe without interference in most polling stations, adding that there were instances where polling officials were overheard casually inquiring about voters' candidate preferences.
The EOM, which arrived Friday to observe the elections at the invitation of the Egyptian government and the NEA, deployed 28 observer teams in 15 governorates, covering all four geographic regions of Nile Valley, Nile Delta, Western Desert, and Eastern Desert.
The three-day voting period in Egypt’s presidential elections wrapped up on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) reported that its observers noticed a significant turnout compared to previous elections, with varying age groups participating.
During a press conference on Wednesday, the Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR) stated that the elections were conducted fairly and efficiently, adding that the observations recorded by its team and documented by its central operations room did not have a significant impact on the voting process.
The preliminary results of Egypt's 2024 presidential elections vote count indicate that incumbent President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is leading with over 90 percent of the votes, Extra News TV channel reported on Wednesday afternoon.
The channel added that presidential candidates Farid Zahran, representing the Social Democratic Party, and Hazem Omar, representing the People's Republican Party, are competing to secure second place, citing preliminary results conducted by the general committees in various governorates across Egypt.
The NEA started to receive appeals against the electoral commission’s decisions on Thursday and will rule on them on 15-16 December.
The final result will be announced on 18 December, if no run-off is required.
Short link: