An Egyptian man who lives in Lebanon casts his ballot for his country's presidential election as he holds his son at the Egyptian embassy in Beirut, Sunday, May 18, 2014 (Photo: AP)
The European Observation Mission (EOM) will observe Egyptian presidential elections slated for 26-27 May, chief of EU observers David Mario announced in a press conference early on Monday.
Following the Egyptian customs' earlier confiscation of EOM telecommunication equipment and medical kits, the EU had issued a statement on Saturday declaring it was no longer able to fully observe the presidential elections and that it would only send a contracted team to assess the process instead.
"All our equipment has been released from customs," Maria declared on Monday, however, adding that "there were no more problems."
He also said the main team of EU observers is due to arrive in Cairo on 25 May, along with a number of analysts and journalists, to start their work.
"Monitoring the elections does not mean that the EU is legitimising the elections," Mario stressed in the press conference held one day after his meeting with the head of the Presidential Elections Committee.
The presidential poll will see only two presidential candidates facing off – former army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi.
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