Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty casts his ballot at the Egyptian embassy in Washington for the 2025 Senate election. (Photo: The Egyptian embassy in Washington)
The overseas vote was conducted at 136 polling stations in Egyptian embassies and consulates across 117 countries, and the ballot counting is now underway.
Due to time zone differences, the Egyptian Embassy in New Zealand was the first to close its polls at 12 pm local time on Sunday, while the final station, located in Los Angeles, is set to conclude voting by Monday morning.
Following the vote, each committee will count ballots for individual candidates and party lists.
The results, along with voter registers and any submitted appeals, will be sent via diplomatic pouch to the foreign ministry.
The ministry will then forward them to the central committee for overseas voting. This committee will compile a final report to be included in the national tally.
Domestic voting is scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday, 4–5 August, according to the National Elections Authority (NEA).
Results from the first round are expected to be announced on 12 August.
The Senate, Egypt's upper chamber of parliament, serves a consultative role, with legislative authority residing in the House of Representatives.
The 300-member Senate is composed of three equal parts: one-third elected via individual candidacy, one-third through closed party lists, and one-third appointed by the president. Women must hold at least 10 percent of the seats. Members serve five-year terms.
In the individual seat system, a candidate must secure an absolute majority of valid votes to win. If no candidate achieves this, a runoff is held between the top two contenders.
For list-based elections, the winning list must also secure an absolute majority. If this is not achieved, a runoff is held between the top two lists, with the one receiving the most valid votes winning.
In the case of a single-candidate list, such as the National Unified List in this election, that list must obtain at least five percent of registered votes in its constituency to win.
If a runoff is required, campaigning will resume on the same day the first-round results are announced, the NEA said.
Appeals against the NEA's decision must be filed within 48 hours, with the final deadline on 14 August.
Runoff voting for expats is scheduled for 25–26 August, followed by domestic runoff voting on 27–28 August.
Final results from the runoff round are expected to be announced on 4 September.
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