CAIRO: One week after the court ruling allowing Egyptians living abroad to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections, 20 Egyptians living in Israel registered to vote, prompting a lawsuit to ban them.
Independent candidate Khaled Nadeem of the Qasr El-Nil constituency filed a lawsuit at the Administrative Court to ban Egyptians living in Israel or married to Israelis from voting.
“It is a conflict of interest as these people are loyal to Egypt and Israel, which is where they earn their living,” Nadeem said on his Facebook page.
Human rights activist Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), finds this issue a “distraction at a time when the country is going though significant challenges, gearing up for decisive elections. We don’t have the luxury to engage in polemical discussions.”
“Egyptians living abroad, regardless of their legal status or the country where they are based, can vote in accordance to an administrative court ruling and any attempt to deprive an Egyptian citizen from voting is unlawful,” he said.
Even though Nadeem is hopeful the Administrative Court will rule in the case before election day, there are no laws, decrees or articles that prohibit Egyptians living in Israel from voting, whether in presidential or parliamentary elections, according to Abdel Aleem Mohamed, political analyst at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.
“If a court ruling is issued prohibiting their vote it could be easily appealed because there can’t be a verdict without a legal basis,” he said.
“This is a highly controversial issue as many people reject their participation in Egyptian politics. There are around 2,500 Egyptians in Israel who have even joined the Israeli Defense Forces, which many Egyptians consider an enemy to this day despite the peace treaty,” Mohamed explained.
The Salafi Al-Nour Party said it rejected the participation of Egyptians living in Israel in elections, but has not taken legal action.
“There are two types of Egyptians living in Israel, those who are there as part of a diplomatic or official delegation and others who’s motivations are unknown,” said spokesman of Al-Nour party Youssry Hamad.
“I’ve heard that there are around 20,000 of them, who are probably there as illegal immigrants or have other objectives … I think [they] should be excluded from participating in Egyptian politics,” he continued.
On the other hand, Yassine Tageldin, member of the higher committee of the Al-Wafd Party, disagrees.
“Egyptians have been deprived for so long of democratic political participation, so we can’t continue to deprive them now,” he said.
“Egyptians are Egyptians wherever they are living.”
